First Meeting Tensions and Other Stories
by kad88
Summary: A week after the incident with Pitch, Jack meets with the Guardians. With issues still left unresolved, tensions are high, but Jack does his best to keep his emotions in check - because he doesn't want to be alone again. K plus to be cautious. Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians
1. First Meeting Tensions

**A/N Okay, so this is my first fanfiction! YAY! I'm not quite sure about publishing my own story, but I wanted to give it a shot.**

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"All right! First Guardian meeting with Jack! Let us get started." North boomed, giving a jolly chuckle(well, a chuckle for him, but it was really more of a guffaw). He smiled broadly at the four guardians sitting in front of him, all squished together on a not-quite-large-enough sofa.

"Second meeting, technically." Jack mentioned absently, eyes wandering the workshop. _Wow. I wish I lived somewhere like this. _He was still awestruck by the impressive globe room, and in all honesty just wanted to fly around and see everything, but he kept his expression an indifferent smirk. "And what's the couch for?"

"First guardian meeting since Pitch incident, then." North amended, "And couch is for bonding. We are team now! And teams must learn to get along, hence close space." Not even taking a breath, the cossack immediately dived into an _extremely_ detailed "summary" of how his week of preparing for Christmas had been. Jack didn't really listen, but he tried to avoid disrupting North's speech. _I wonder how many Yetis I can get to faint if I knock over that pile of toys. _"And despite ze wrapping paper incident, all ez sorted out. Of course elves are now banned from the..."

"I think we got it, mate." Bunny interjected, pausing as the three other listeners breathed quiet sighs of relief. "You've probably earbashed us for longer than the actual events you're describing."_ Thank you, Kangaroo._

"Ha! I guess you are right. I will quit the chitter-chatter. More for me to say next week, no? Who wants to share next?" _Here we go again. _Jack was itching to move. To let the wind carry him. To do _something._

Tooth jumped at the segway. "I have so much to share! Where to begin? I'm finally back in the field and there is just so much teeth and theteetharejustsomuchcooloerwhentheyarerecentlydemouthedand . . ." _Teetering on creepy again, Tooth. Don't want another Sophie incident, do we?_

Not for the first time that day, Bunny interrupted. "That's ace and all, sheila," _Bunny may have his flaws, a LOT of flaws, but at least he knows when the others' explanations are going too far. "_But North . . . What did ya say about next week?"

North glanced at Jack, whose attention had been caught by Bunnymund's questioning tone. "Yes, yes. Guardian meetings are weekly from now on."

Tooth smiled, but the glow didn't reach her eyes, her eyebrows slightly scrunched together. Sandy clapped his hands together, appearing to be thrilled. Bunnymund, on the other hand, was anything but. "We never had many of these meeting before, North. Why start now?" The Pooka stared pointedly at Jack, his eyes accusing.

The winter spirit's eyes widened. "Wait. You're not having these because I joined, are you?" He narrowed his eyes. _What, because I'm new they have to keep an eye on me? _Jack thought back on the previous Easter. _No. This has nothing to do with being new. They think I'll get into trouble. That's all I am after all, at least according to Kangaroo. _"Well I don't need you guys to babysit me. I won't mess up you guys' stupid reputations if that's what you're getting at."

North stuttered over his next words. "What? Jack, no. O-of course we don't..." _Can't even think up an excuse, North?_

Tooth broke in, "Jack, I'm sure North justs wants you to feel comfortable with us. As do we all." Sandy placed a reassuring hand on Jack's shoulder, calming him down, a little.

"Yeah, right." Jack muttered, but threw in a playful eye roll. Even if they still didn't trust him. Didn't like him, even. It was better than before. Better than being alone. _I won't mess this up_, Jack told himself.

"Look, Frost. You've proved yourself a Guardian when we defeated Pitch, but you're still the same spirit who messes things up for everyone." The Guardians of Wonder, Memories, and Dreams turned hardened glares on Hope. Jack simply kept his head down, cringing slightly as his concerns were said aloud. _He's right. He's right. He's right. _"I mean, there's your usual disruptions, but then there's '68 and with last week's ruining of Easter . . ."

"Bunny." North's voice was soft, but harsh. "That's enough, and not what I had in mind at all." _Then why couldn't you explain that earlier?_

Bunny chose to continue, but spoke more carefully under the watchful eye of an intimidating Sandman, Santa Claus, and Tooth Fairy. "I wouldn't blame North for wanting to keep you in line a bit, is all I'm saying."

Jack raised his head, an eyebrow quirked up. His smirk grew wider as he glanced from guardian to guardian. _Just pretend you don't care._

"Look, no big deal. I make messes. I cause trouble. Just who I am, I guess." Sandy frowned at the casual self-deprecation, even if it sounded insincere coming from Jack's natural sarcastic voice. "I've been fine without these little, 'let's check up on Jack' meetings for 300 years. Don't need to start them now."

Silence.

Jack just wanted the matter to drop. Sure, he wanted attention after all the time he spent alone, but not this kind of attention - the attention where he wasn't exactly sure what they were thinking. Though, admittedly, it was better than none. He may be one of them now, but the Guardians were busy, and he was definitely not worth taking time out of their lives. Bunny obviously agreed. Tooth seemed stressed at the mention of the regular meetings, though she would never say that. Sandy seemed happy enough, but who could really be sure with him?

And North. North either felt a misguided obligation to make him feel welcome, as was the excuse for the sudden periodicity of the meetings, or he truly felt that Jack would make a mess of his position. Neither prospect made the boy feel particularly warm and fuzzy.

"Jack, I didn't mean to say anything that . . ." Bunny sighed, ears flattened back. Not willing to discuss the topic that was dangerously looming— Jack's 300 years of solitude, or its consequences - he went in a different direction. "I need a little help preparing for Easter anyway, so the meetings will actually benefit me and keep me on task."

Bitterness filled Jack's mind. _There goes Peter Cottontail, backpedaling. I already know how you really feel about me. You make that VERY clear, oh I don't know, EVERY time you see me. _Jack fought back these thoughts, ashamed. Sure, Kangaroo was a jerk to him, but didn't he deserve it? He had ruined Easter twice, after all.

"See!" North exclaimed. "Meeting is excellent idea for all of us. We get to know Jack and we help each other with holidays. Everyone leaves happy."

Jack smiled. Not a real smile, of course. That expression was reserved for the children. "Sounds like a plan." _Don't mess up. Don't mess up. Don't mess up. They may not like you, but don't get yourself kicked out. I don't want to be alone again._ And though Jack really did not want to be alone, he still felt that he was.

"And Jack. None of this is meant to insult you. You are very good guardian." North smiled broadly.

And Jack continued smiling.

Because that was all he could do.

Because even if these guardians didn't trust him, didn't like him, and had ignored him, they could still see him.

Because he did not want to be alone.

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**A/N Thanks for reading! I would really like some constructive criticism on this story(because it's my first), so please review and tell me what you think. **


	2. Franklin

_Easter, 1968_

Hopscotch.

It had all started with hopscotch.

Jack had only been passing through the small town of Franklin, with no intention of stopping, when he caught sight of a young girl below him. _What is she doing up so early?_ Jack glanced toward the sky. _The sun hasn't even risen, yet. I mean, I know it's Easter, and all, but still. . ._ Jack's thoughts trailed off as he drew closer.

She was a small girl, about 10, Jack would guess. He settled on a nearby rooftop that gave him the perfect view of the blonde child, watching as she bounced through a hopscotch court. Jack smiled softly, but couldn't rid himself of a sick feeling that had crept its way into his gut.

"Hopscotch, huh?" Jack said, mostly to himself.

A sobbing breath escaped the girl.

"Wind, take me closer." Landing a few feet away from the court, he observed his new person of interest. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her breathing labored.

Jack frowned. "Whoa, hey there. Is something wrong?"

The girl continued playing hopscotch alone, her eyebrows furrowed.

Though Jack didn't know it yet, his center was fun, and he recognized when someone was attempting to have it. Even if that someone was failing miserably.

_Snow._ Jack could not think of a single thing as fun as snow. "Alright, girl, we're gonna cheer you up, okay?"

The girl didn't respond.

Jack pushed off the ground, freezing the moisture in the clouds and creating snowfall. He didn't dare to make enough to do more than lightly frost the town, as the spring spirits wouldn't be too pleased with him interrupting their season. _That should do it._

Returning to the girl, Jack grinned widely and waited. When the first snowflake nipped the tip of her nose, she raised her eyes, laughing in disbelief. "I didn't know it was supposed to snow today." Her voice was as small as she was.

"Those weather people don't exactly control the weather, do they?" Jack chuckled as the girl played her game with a little more joy.

"Ellie?" An even younger child approached in her night dress, rubbing her eyes. 'Ellie' halted her movement.

"What is it, Alice? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"You're not in bed," The younger yawned.

"That's true." Jack jumped in the conversation, pretending they could hear him.

Ellie was quiet.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Alice pushed.

Ellie nodded. Alice shuffled toward her sister, wrapping her arms around Ellie's waste. "I had a bad dream, too."

Jack's heart ached. Without thinking, he reached toward the two girls, gasping when his arms went straight through them. _Oh, yeah. I forgot._

Ellie pulled away from the hug. "Play hopscotch with me. It makes it less scary."

Jack knew he should have found the idea odd. Children usually go to their parents when their scared, right? Despite how he should have felt, the two girls' game made perfect sense to him.

But it also made him sad.

"I should get going. You two have fun." Jack tried to leave, but his feet felt frozen to the ground, while his eyes refused to leave the playing children. _She kind of reminds me of my sister. _

_Wait. Sister? Where did that come from? I'm not even human, how could I have a sister?_ But he could almost see her. Almost._ I must be going crazy._

Jack rubbed his temples, balancing his staff beneath an elbow. An emotion washed over him. One he couldn't quite place. It wasn't the usual loneliness. It wasn't the anger, or even the guilt he often found himself experiencing. _What's going on?_ Though he couldn't decide on an emotion, something was missing. Yet, he also felt that a heavy weight was placed on his chest. _What a contradiction,_ Winter wanted to laugh.

Jack failed to notice that the already chilly temperature was dropping dramatically.

He pulled his hood up and sat down exactly where he was standing. Without looking up, he addressed the Man in the Moon, "At times like this, it would have been helpful if you had told me more than my name." The boy's fingers fiddled with his staff.

The wind picked up its pace.

_There's nothing wrong. _Jack closed his eyes. _Ha. If that were true, why do I feel like I just fell off a building?_

The snow fell more heavily.

_Who is that girl I thought of?_

The trees iced over.

_I don't even know what she looks like. Have I met her before? _

The wind's whisper escalated into a howl.

_Maybe I can find her. _

A voice rang out in the back of his mind, _You won't._ This shocked Jack's eyes open, as he realized the voice was his own. The words were filled with such anguish, Jack nearly cried out himself.

When the world came into focus, Jack actually did cry out.

The small flurry he had meant to create was no more. The spirit of winter could hardly breathe as his snow whipped in the wind, blocking any clear vision. What Jack _could_ see, was all covered in ice. In frost.

_No._

The boy ran his fingers through his hair. _It's spring. This isn't supposed to happen. What have I done?_

_The girls._ Jack desperately scoured the hopscotch court and its surroundings. A sigh of relief. _They must have gone home._

Jack waved his staff around him, trying with all his might to suppress the blizzard. But that was not within his capability. Winter didn't hold back snow, it released it. And now it was releasing a storm of the white flakes during the wrong season.

_No, no, no. This can't be happening. Stop!_

"Wind, help me!" The wind obliged, lifting Jack up, but even it could do nothing in the face of the blizzard. As soon as the winter spirit was held in his friend's grasp, he was yanked away, tossed into the treacherous storm by winds that weren't his.

A few terrible minutes of no control left Jack crashing into an elm, hitting every branch on the way down. Each of the tree's limbs pierced his skin, the impact of the iced ground blurring his vision.

Jack stumbled up, refusing to let his own element beat him. But his efforts only seemed to increase the intensity of the snow storm. Tears stung Jack's eyes, but he blinked them away, refusing to let them fall. Scowling, he threw his beloved staff with as much strength as he could muster. _Useless stick._

Frustrated and tired, Jack collapsed under the elm tree, ignoring the agony that both ripped at his skin and gnawed at his insides. Wanting to escape, to disappear, he drifted off to sleep, just as the sun began to rise.

* * *

"What. Did. You. Do."

Jack opened his eyes groggily, searching for the source of the growl. _Ugh. What happened? _The boy winced as the memories of recent events rushed back.

"Do I need tou say it again, Frost?"

_Oh, great. The Easter Bunny decided to visit._

E. Aster Bunnymund leaned closer to Jack, whose head still rested on the trunk of the damaged elm tree. "What do you think you're doing messing up my holiday."

_Messing up his… It's Easter. _Jack wanted to bang his head against the tree. _Can this day get any worse?_

Apparently, it could.

"You selfish drongo! All my googies are frozen solid! Not that that matters, as I doubt any of the kids will be able to come out anyhow when they're _snowed in._" Every word stabbed into Jack like a knife.

The winter spirit was not in the mood for this. "Look, it was an accident, okay?"

There was no mercy in Bunny's eyes. No hint of anything but anger. "Heh, you call this an accident?" The pooka gestured to the snow that covered every inch of Franklin. "No, you're just trying to cause trouble and ruin everything I've worked for."

_I'm trying to… _In that moment, Jack forgot about the two girls playing hopscotch. All thoughts of the girl he couldn't quite remember escaped him, replaced with hurt and anger at being blamed without being allowed an explanation.

Jack leapt to his feet, feeling insecure without his tossed-aside staff, but not willing to back down. "Because everything revolves around you, the Easter _Kangaroo_, and I make it the single goal of my life to get in _your _way." Jack let out a haughty breath. "And you're calling _me_ selfish?"

"First of all, Bunny, _not_ Kangaroo. Second. At least _I_ have important responsibilities to take care of. What do you have?" Bunnymund jabbed his paw at Jack's chest. "You have the cold. You have destruction."

Jack shoved the pooka's paw away from his chest. "First of all," He mimicked Bunny's choice of words. "Says the one who hides eggs for a living. And to the kangaroo thing, have you looked in a mirror, recently?"

"At least my eggs don't make people miserable."

"Debatable."

"But have my eggs killed anybody?"

Jack paused. Logically, he knew that the deaths caused by winter weren't his fault. The nagging voice in the back of his mind, however, was not one to listen to logic. _But what if it is my fault._ Jack took a deep breath. "Winter is part of the balance of the seasons, _Kangaroo_. Sure, it can be harsh, but that isn't _my_ doing."

Bunny raised his eyebrows, pausing almost for as long as Jack had before responding. "Keep telling yourself that."

The two glared, both refusing to be the first to break eye contact. The contest could have lasted seconds, or minutes. It would have lasted longer if Jack hadn't given in. "Whatever." He turned his back, heading towards where he thought he threw his staff.

"If I _ever_ catch you causing trouble again, I will not take matters so lightly!" Bunny shouted after Jack. _Trust me, I won't. _"And make sure you don't let me set eyes on you again!"

Jack whipped around toward the Easter Bunny, but the pooka was already hopping away. _Don't let him see me again?_ Jack couldn't help but wonder, _If humans can't see me, and those like me won't see me, then who is there left?_

* * *

_Flashforward, 1 week after the first guardian meeting_

Jack sat on a branch of an elm tree - the same one he had crashed into years earlier. _Franklin sure hasn't changed much._

Ever since the last guardian meeting, Jack had avoided thinking about the guardians at all. The winter spirit spent most of his time visiting children, specifically the Bennetts, and bringing fun with him. It wasn't until he realized the second meeting was starting that he allowed himself to consider the words said by the other guardians and himself.

_You're not one of them._ Pitch's voice echoed in Jack's mind.

_The more I'm around them, the more I think it's true._

Jack shook his head. _I'm such an idiot, wallowing in self-pity. I'm a guardian! I protect children! _But he couldn't rid himself of the feeling that he still didn't belong. _I should probably get to the meeting, before the others freak out._

_They won't even notice you're missing,_ the doubt in Jack's mind whispered.

And so, Jack stayed in the tree, silently hoping they _would_ notice, but feeling sure that they wouldn't.

"Oi, Jackie."

Jack cringed, reminded of the events of '68. "Need something, Kangaroo?"

Bunny sighed, "You know we have a meeting right now, don't you?" Jack nodded. The Easter Bunny gazed about the trees and buildings, recognizing them immediately. "Didn't expect you to be here." An awkward silence rested between the two.

"Aw, get down here, will you? I'm not climbing the tree." Fun obeyed, sliding down the wind. He sat at the base of the tree, refusing to look at the pooka. To Jack's surprise, Bunnymund plopped down next to him. He would have laughed at how ridiculous the rabbit looked had he not been expecting a scolding.

Jack was uncomfortable. They had been sitting for a good five minutes, and still the overgrown bunny-rabbit hadn't said a word. _Is this some sort of new guilt method? Make me apologize without being asked to? _A few more moments of silence.

"I'm sorry for not showing, okay?" Jack spoke quickly. "There, can we get going now? This is getting uncomfortable."

Bunny stared at the boy, incredulously. "What? You don't have anything to apologize for! Except for maybe a few… nevermind. I'm gettin' off topic."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Jack asked, eyes narrowed.

Bunny just shook his head. "Eer… I guess I'm sort of… trying to... " He sighed. "I may have been a little harsh on you last week." Jack stared, dumbfounded. Was Bunny trying to apologize?

"What for? It was all true."

"Naw, it wasn't true. You were the one who saved our tails, after all."

"Sure," Jack didn't sound convinced. "And who paid you?"

"Paid me?"

Jack laughed. "There is no way you came because you wanted to."

Bunny looked down, wincing. "Well, Sandy may have been awfully convincing."

"What, _Sandy_ told you off?"

"Sandy doesn't need words to be scary, Jackie." Bunny said, with all seriousness. They both shuddered. Then, they were both chuckling.

"He can be pretty intimidating, and I just met him two weeks ago."_ Like that time with Pitch. Wouldn't want that turned against me._

"Trust me mate, you haven't seen him when he's really angry." Bunny's eyes followed a trail of dream sand in the distance that seemed to say, 'You better be doing what I told you to do.' "And he was definitely angry today."

Jack brought his head up, almost hitting it on a tree branch. "But why would he be angry? And why did he send you after me, in the first place?"

Bunny's ears drooped, any amusement that had previously been in his eyes wiped out. _What did I say, this time?_ "He was worried about ya when ya didn't show up. He thought that maybe ya were a little more upset about last week than ya let on."

_He was worried?_ Jack half-smiled, hoping it was true. "Don't you go doing that, Jackie."

"Doing what?"

"You look like that's the most surprising thing you ever heard." Bunny's paws were in fists at his sides. "We were _all_ worried about you. Even me."

"Why?" _I just missed a meeting. No big deal, right?_

"W-why?" The Guardian of Hope closed his eyes, trying to keep his breathing steady. "What if Pitch came after ya? What if ya - oh I don't know - pulled a prank that got ya into something?" Jack physically deflated. _So that's why. They don't think I can handle myself._

"I can feel hope, Jack." Bunny mumbled, quietly.

_Alright. _"Yeah, that's your center."

"I mean, I can feel your hope, Jack." Jack didn't respond. "And it keeps inflating and deflating like a balloon." Jack started doodling in the dirt with his staff. "Am I the reason it keeps deflating, Jack?" The winter spirit shook his head, vigorously. "But I'm part of the reason." Jack's silence was confirmation enough.

Bunny switched tactics. "How old are you, Jack?"

"Three hundred and..."

"No, the age that matters. How old were you when you became Jack Frost?"

"...fourteen." Bunny sighed deeper than Jack had ever heard him before.

"You see? I'm supposed to guard hope in kids. Not doing that great, am I?" _Where is this going? _"I'm sorry. There, not saying it again. Now let's go." Bunny stood up. Jack didn't move. "Come on, Jackie. You'd think that after being alone for so long you'd enjoy the company." Bunny had meant it as a joke to get Jack moving, but Jack placed his head in his hands.

"I know. I just don't get it." _Why don't I want to go?_

"Frost?"

"It's like, I don't want to be alone. I really don't. But being around you guys makes me realize how different I am, and it makes me feel even more alone." Jack scoffed at himself. _Did I really just say that? Should I pretend I was kidding?_

Jack looked up at Bunny, fully intending on shrugging off what he had admitted, but Bunny's eyes were… different. They looked sorrowfully at him. _Is he pitying me? I don't want his pity. _But they also seemed understanding. "It get's better, Jackie."

The joke Jack had prepared to lighten the mood faded from his lips. _How can he say that so easily? _"How do you know?"

Bunny opened his mouth, as if to say something, then closed it. He flattened his ears, looking to the sky at something Jack could not see.

Focusing on Jack again, his ears perked back up. "'cause I know everything, ya drongo."

Jack smirked. "Of course you do." _And you're hiding something, but I won't pry. _

Hope playfully pushed Jack's head forward. "Now let's get back to the meeting before Sandy and the others have my head."

Jack stood, stretching his arms. "Alright, Kangaroo." Fun gazed at Bunny, competitively. "Race you." He took off in the wind.

"Didn't I tell you to never race a rabbit?" The pooka tapped his foot on the ground, disappearing into one of his holes.

_Maybe Bunny isn't quite as bad as I thought. _

_Maybe._

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**A/N Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and/or reviewed! It really helps to get support, and inspire me to keep writing. This one is a lot longer than the first chapter, and I hope you all liked it! Have a great day! :)**


	3. The Game of Sandy

_So it's going to be a game then, Sandman. You're on._

"Jack! Are you paying attention?" North cut into Jack's scheme. "We are discussing very important business."

"Not to be rude, but I doubt the _color_ of the wrapping paper you use is really all that important."

"Not that…" North stood, flabbergasted, looking toward the other guardians for support. Sandy shrugged. Tooth suddenly found the feathers on her arms especially interesting.

Bunny was the only soul brave enough to speak up. "He does have a point, North." The target of the comment huffed in indignation. "The color of googies, I would understand. I mean, that's one of the reasons the little ankle biters like 'em so much. For Christmas though, they definitely care more for the present underneath the paper, if you ask me."

_Bunny, agreeing with me? _Jack glanced out the window, expecting to see a pig pass through the air.

"I was not asking, Aster. The color of wrapping paper means everything! Imagine sizzling pink covering gift! Sizzling!" Jack shuddered. _Say sizzling one more time, North… Ugh, probably one of the worst words there are, along with heat, burning, sweltering, and tons of others. Oh, and shouldn't forget hot. That's an awful one, too._

"Isn't it hot pink?" Tooth corrected, not noticing Jack cringe. "I mean, I guess you could mean carnation pink, orchid pink, congo pink, charmpinkqueenpinkbarbiepinkparadisepinkpastelpinkcottoncandy— " Baby Tooth chirped. "Right! And amaranth pink, too. There's just so much pink! Healthy gums pink..." A few Tooth minions nodded in agreement, while the Queen herself held her hands to her heart, breathing a happy sigh.

"No pink!" North massaged his forehead. "Last time we tried was disaster. We stick with green, red, gold, silver, etc."

Jack raised his hand.

"Yes, Jack?"

"If you're already so sure what color the wrapping paper will be, why are you asking us?"

"Because it is important to listen to others' opinions."

"I think he just wanted something to talk about, mate." Bunny whispered. Jack barely suppressed a snicker. _North does love to talk._ Not that this bothered Jack. It kept conversations going and kept their visits to the Pole lively.

As North and Bunny got into an argument about who knows what, Jack felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, he found himself peering down at the short, golden member of the group. _If it isn't my target, Sanderson Mansnoozie. _

Sandy pointed toward the ceiling, a question mark forming out of his dreamsand. Jack followed the Guardian of Dream's finger to some elves in the rafters, playing tug-of-war with an open bucket of some of, what Jack assumed was, a homemade elf creation. To make matters more… interesting, the two were directly over the bickering North and Bunny.

_Should I tell them? _Normally, Jack would have found the situation hilarious, and would have rooted for the substance to 'slip' from the elves' hands (with maybe a little push from the wind). However, he did not know if letting his newfound acquaintances get drenched with an unknown liquid was the polite thing to do. _I probably should warn them, but it would be so funny if it fell. _

Another tap on his shoulder.

This time, Sandy held a finger to his lips, a mischievous smile playing in his eyes. Jack raised an eyebrow, a grin stretching wide across his face.

As it turned out, the liquid did spill. Bunnymund leapt out of the way, while North pulled out an umbrella, opening it just in time for the purple substance to splatter on its surface. "That was close one!" North laughed, flicking goop off his umbrella.

Winter's first thoughts were of disappointment that the goo didn't reach his senior guardians. That disappointment, however, soon bubbled out, replaced by confusion. _Wait… why does North have an umbrella? Where was he even keeping it? _

"Hey, Sandy. Why does North have a— " Jack halted, realizing that Sandy was snoring.

"PHIL!" Wonder roared. "Come clean up mess!" Jack could just make out a shout in Yetish, followed by a slam.

The winter spirit's mind wandered back to his earlier scheming revolving around Sandy, and the game that was born from it. _This will be fun. I'll definitely figure you out, Sandman._

This game that Jack referred to was more of an espionage mission, really; his main goal being to collect information on the guardian. It wasn't that Jack really knew much about any of the guardians, but Sandy puzzled him the most. It may have been because Jack didn't understand the symbols Sandy often turned to (though he was sure that he would get better with practice). Maybe it was the fact that Sandy seemed to be the most mature of all the guardians, while keeping an almost childish personality. All Jack knew, was that he wanted to know more about the curiosity that was the Sandman. And, if nothing else, he would have fun in his attempts.

_Alright. Mission Understanding Sandy is a go._

* * *

MISSION A - OBSERVE TARGET

_Finally, something interesting to do._

The meeting was over and the guardians began to head out.

_Where does Sandy live, anyway?_

"Make sure to come visit my palace, Jack." Tooth smiled.

"I will." _A sandcastle, maybe_?

"Oh! And your teeth better be just as perfect as they are now next time I see you."

"I'm sure they will be." _A cloud?_

"Promise me."

Jack groaned, but his eyes retained their usual playful attitude. "I promise that the next time you see me, my teeth will be as clean and white and sparkly as freshly fallen snow." Tooth nodded in approval, while Bunny snorted.

"I think you've tortured him enough for one day, sheila."

"Torture...?" Memory fluttered angrily toward the Pooka. "I'll have you know that dental hygiene is important to the well-being of all! And Jack doesn't mind, do you Jack?"

But Jack didn't answer.

He was busy watching Sandy, not even aware of the tooth fairies that had been tugging on his mouth, hoping for one last peek at his glorious teeth before leaving with Tooth.

_Maybe he's a nomad?_

Sandy, noticing the winter spirit's gaze, smiled with a wave before disappearing out a window.

_If it's always night somewhere, does he ever stop working? Or does the dreamsand self-handle the dreams?_

"I think his silence proves my statement." Aster concluded.

Jack began making his way toward the window that Sandy had exited from. "I'd better get going, too. Bye North. Tooth. Kangaroo."

"It's Bunny— " But Jack was gone. Bunnymund crossed his arms. "And after I defended him, too."

Tooth gave a half-hearted glare. "Yeah, you defended him from a real monster: dental care."

North stroked his beard. "If you two do not stop, I will set yeti on you."

Tooth gaped. "But you two were just... oh, nevermind! Come along, ladies." Bunnymund rolled his eyes as a few teeth stuck tongues out at him.

"Women." The Pooka muttered.

* * *

Jack gazed at the dreamsand in awe as it made its way to the minds of the children. In his distraction, the boy lost sight of Sandy.

_This is why I'm not a secret agent._

Jack scoured the area for the guardian, catching sight of him in a quiet suburb of London. Winter raced toward Sandy, forgetting to hide himself in his relief at having found him. He almost choked when the Sandman turned toward him.

_Aaahhh!_ In Jack's hurry to get out of sight, he lost his grip on his staff. _No!_ He almost caught it several times, but the conduit fell out of reach, bringing Jack, and a cry of panic, with it. He hadn't been very high in the air, but falling into the dumpster was a relatively unpleasant experience.

Jack crinkled his nose. _My luck is wonderful._

After carefully removing a banana peel from his beloved staff, the boy leaped back into the wind to see Sandy still in the spot he had been previously, his back turned.

"I guess he didn't see me." Jack whispered, a little louder than he meant to. _Or hear me, _he thought,his cheeks growing a bit flustered at his own clumsiness, not to mention the gasp of surprise (as Jack downplayed it) that followed.

Sandy laughed silently.

* * *

MISSION B - ENGAGE TARGET

_The dreams are great, but does Sandy do anything else?_

The last few hours had been nothing but spreading dreamsand, and though Jack was fascinated by them, his attention span was not the longest.

_Alright. Part two of my mission: test Sandy's reactions to random situations. Or, one situation, at least._

Sandy, as Jack noticed, had a sense of humor. A silent one, but it was there. And sometimes, those with a sense of humor could be just as entertaining as those who didn't.

_I've got to do this one carefully, or I'll be caught._

The opportunity came in a small town in Canada, where a blizzard had recently passed. Jack chuckled darkly as he spotted a particularly unstable, snow-covered tree. A snowball in his hand, he waited until the Sandman was directly beneath it.

_Thud._

Jack didn't even attempt to suppress a chuckle as Sandy widens his eyes, completely engulfed in a cold, wet heap.

Dreams blinked several times, then continued his journey, not bothering to wipe off the pile of snow that remained on top of his head.

_That was perfect,_ Jack beamed. _I bet it would be better with Bunny as the target, though. His reaction would be priceless._

Jack didn't notice Sandy raise an eyebrow at his hiding spot before continuing to spread his dreams.

* * *

MISSION C - REALIZE THAT I FAIL AT THIS MISSION THING

Jack had followed Sandy to Burgess, but had almost immediately lost him upon entering the town.

_Fantastic. I haven't learned anything about Sandy that I didn't already know._

Weird. Jack didn't see any dreamsand about.

_Where did you go?_ The winter spirit wandered the town aimlessly. _I guess my dream of a career in covert operations will never be fulfilled._ Jack sighed dramatically. _I could cry._

A small tail of sand shone at Burgess park. _There!_ Jack landed in the park, stumbling a bit as he touched the frosty ground. There was no Sandy in sight.

"Now!"

Cold arsenal bombarded Jack, leaving his mind a bit muffled as he tried to process the situation. After a moment, he laughed, "Hey, no fair!"

"All's fair in love and war!" Jack's vision cleared after a several minutes of only snow-filled sight. He glanced around to see Jamie and his friends, each playfully tossing and catching snowballs in one hand.

"Alright, remember, you asked for it." In seconds, Jack had a small fort and countless piles of ammo. The children giggled, hiding behind park benches as the snowball war continued.

"Alright, Jack!" Jamie called, his clothes dusted over with snow. "You win!"

"And the moral of this story is: don't pick a snowball fight with a winter spirit." Jack smirked.

"Next time, you'll be on our team!" Pippa announced, brushing snow off her pants with one hand, and dragging Cupcake by her arm with the other. "You, Cupcake, and I will destroy the others." Cupcake agreed by pounding her fist into her hand.

"No way! Jack's gonna be on _our_ team." Caleb argued.

"Ladies, ladies. We can take turns, so I'll be on both of your teams." He balanced his staff on the palm of his hand, grasping it with the other hand when a gust of wind blew it over. _Gee, thanks Wind. _The winter spirit could almost hear the wind howl with laughter(both figuratively and literally). "How'd you guys know I'd be here, by the way?" But Jack already knew the answer.

"How do you think?" Jamie ridded his scarf of a good liter of ice.

"Sandy."

* * *

Jack grinned sheepishly. _Busted._

He had caught sight of the spirit floating above the town— a spectator of the children's snow war. Knowing that the Sandman was waiting for him, and that ignoring him would be a… bad idea, Jack hesitantly drifted toward him after a quick goodbye to Jamie and his friends.

Sandy's hands were placed firmly on his hips, a question mark above his head. Jack's smile faltered at the serious expression displayed across the other's face.

_Oh no. I didn't make him mad, did I?_ The thought that the Sandman would be angry with Jack's escapades had never crossed his mind.

Sandy waited.

"Uh, I guess I just wanted to find out more about you? To get to know you better?" _Yeah, good excuse Jack._

The Sandman folded his arms in a 'really?' gesture. He created an image of Jack and himself communicating.

_Uuuummmmm... Let's see... _

The golden man replaced the image with another question mark.

_Why didn't I just ask him?_ Jack hoped his guess was correct. "What would be the fun in just asking?" Sandy scrunched his eyebrows. Shrugging, he created the image of an open book.

"A book. I'm an open book?"_ Okay…?_

Sandy shook his head.

"Stories?" Sandy nodded.

_He wants to tell me stories about himself? Still not as interesting as a spy mission, but… _

"You're right, I bet you would have some good stories to tell."

_Sandy has been around longer than me. I wonder what it was like back then?_ The idea of simply speaking to the Sandman about himself no longer seemed quite as boring as it had previously. Jack let out a sigh of defeat. "Maybe I should have just asked. I don't want to pry, but would you tell me some?"

Dreams smiled, creating sand images of a hunched Sanderson with a walker, followed by a clock with it's hands moving rapidly.

Jack chuckled. "You're old and that could take a while?"

Sandy nodded, giving the boy a thumbs up.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing we're immortal." Jack sat criss-cross on his staff, as if he were on the ground and not hundreds of feet in the air. _Maybe he can tell me how the other guardians got started. Or maybe where Pitch came from. Would Manny create a spirit whose sole purpose is to scare children?_ Jack shook his head. _That doesn't sound right, but I think I'll save that one for later._ "Can you tell me how all of you became guardians?"

Sandy tapped his chin, then shook his head. "Awwww. Why not?" The symbols that the Guardian of Dreams produced were too quick for Jack to make sense of, but some involved the winter spirit speaking with other guardians.

Jack brought his eyes down to his lap. _Go ask the others?_ The feeling that he was unwanted resurfaced after slowly diminishing over the past few months. _Haha. That's right. I'm just wasting his time. Of course he doesn't want to talk with me._

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your work. I'll just go now."

Sandy waved his hands back and forth, shaking his head vigorously. He held a hand to his forehead, while the other was held out in a 'stop' gesture to keep Jack from fleeing.

Another series of symbols.

"So, you'll tell me about yourself, but not the others?"

Sandy clapped his hands. Not in a condescending way, but in relief that he had gotten his message across.

"I get it. Not your place to tell me their histories, but judging from how this conversation has been going, I'm not exactly sure how an entire story would go." Realizing that what he said may have been offensive, he hurriedly added, "Don't take it the wrong way. You're great with the sand symbols, but..."

Sandy silently laughed, but Jack wasn't sure as to why. _Should I be concerned? Am I missing something?_ Dreams motioned for Winter to follow him, before drifting towards a patch of grass below. Sandy's eyes glowed mischievously. _Is that how I look when I get an idea?_ Jack didn't really have time to think about the matter further, as the last thing he saw after landing was a flash of gold before blacking out.

Opening his eyes, the winter spirit laid eyes on what was certainly not the earth he knew. Or the earth at all for that matter. Jack glanced about the dream, realization dawning.

_Cool! So this is what you meant, Sandy. I stand corrected. This could potentially be more fun than anything I had planned._

* * *

**A/N For those who may want to know, this one-shot takes place in late fall, the same year as the movie. These stories will not be in chronological order, so there will probably be more from before this as well as after. I haven't read the Guardians of Childhood books yet (I know, shame on me), but I'm trying to keep the guardian's backgrounds mostly with book canon from what I've heard from other fanfictions and from the wiki page.**

**This one-shot had the angst toned-down quite a bit, but I hope those who read it enjoyed it! And thanks again to all who read, reviewed, favorited, or followed! Please tell me what you think! Suggestions, both on one-shot ideas or for my writing for this story in general, and criticisms are welcome! :D **


	4. The Sleigh

**A/N Here's a short sleigh-ride home story after Jack officially becomes a guardian.**

* * *

_What now?_

Jack peered at the other guardians. Bunny had his eyes closed, and was muttering under his breath something Jack could not hear. Tooth communicated orders to her fairies, while Sandy slept. North sang Christmas carols in a low voice as he headed the sleigh.

_Bunny's gonna go back to painting eggs. Tooth's already started getting back to her Tooth Fairy duties. Sandy will spread dreams. North will return to his workshop. _Jack pulled his hood up, eyes unfocused. _So I guess I'll just go back to spreading snow. These Pitch incidents don't happen often, do they? _The boy found himself wishing they did. Wishing for _anything _that would have him be needed by the others.

"Oh what fun, it is to ride a several reindeer pulled— " North halted, turning his attention to the passengers of his sleigh, frowning. Though the others failed to notice this, Jack did.

"Something wrong, North? Is is Nightmare sand?" Jack hopped up, pulled down his hood, and made his way beside Wonder, searching for signs of danger. North smiled softly at the boy, before returning to his usual loud grin.

"Ha! Nightmare sand? No, we defeat Pitch, already. Nothing to worry about!" He thrust the reigns into Jack's hands. "Here! Take reigns."

Jack widened his eyes, but took them, anyway. _Why is North giving me these? Last time, it was an emergency, but now? _

The winter spirit eyed North suspiciously, but held onto the reigns. North laughed at the look on Jack's face. "What? I give you directions, just fly." Jack turned his attention to the sky in front of him, allowing himself to forget his concerns, if only for a moment.

He failed to notice the crease of worry that dominated North's features as the Guardian of Wonder studied him.

* * *

**A/N Thanks again to all those who read, review, favorite, or follow! I love all of you! This is more of a prequel to the next chapter, so sorry again for the shortness :)**


	5. Cossacks and Thieves

**A/N** ** I should have mentioned this several chapters ago, but there won't be any pairings in this fanfiction. These stories will solely be focused on family relationships(so please don't suggest any pairings). Thanks! I hope you like it!**

**This takes place about a month after the movie. It's mostly Jack's point of view, there is an instance where we see a few of North thoughts, though Jack's will still be the only direct thoughts shown(in italics). I hope it doesn't get confusing.**

* * *

Jack jiggled the door handle. "Come on, Phil! It was an accident!"_ Well, not really, but…_

He was responded with a Yetish rant.

"Okay, a purposeful accident, but I wasn't hurting anybody." _Can't the Yetis take a little joke?_

More Yetish.

"Toys don't count as 'anybody,' and the elves are fine!" Phil groaned. Jack began banging on the door to the workshop. "Please?" _I need something to do._

"What is with constant banging!" The boy froze. "And why is door locked? Yetis! Explanation!" Phil did as North commanded, but the boy could tell that North wasn't really listening when he heard the door handle being messed with on the other side. "Stop! Nevermind, I don't want explanation." Jack could feel the Yeti eye roll from the other side of the door.

North continued to tinker with the handle for a solid three minutes before the door swung open. "Jack! You did not tell me you were here!" Without waiting for a reply, the man wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders, ushering him into the workshop. "Come in, my boy! I don't know why Yetis would lock you out." Jack didn't notice the murderous glare the Yeti's received from the guardian at that comment. Most bent down their heads, ashamed of their actions, but Phil pointed to a group of elves, all tied together. The string that held them was tangled in pastries and pieces of destroyed toys.

Jack hadn't realized the damage the elves had done to the workshop after Phil had planted him outside the door. Gazing about, he realized that quite a few of the Christmas preparations were in ruins. His stomach flipped. _I am never gonna be allowed back here again. _

This dread was accompanied by disappointment that _this_ was the prank he had decided to pull. _I thought that when I did get banned, it would at least be because of a _good _prank, not a stupid, spur-of-the-moment decision. _He thought of his lengthy mental list of pranks he had wanted to perform at the workshop. Some, he didn't quite know how to pull off yet, but he at least had desired the opportunity to attempt them.

North barely glanced at the elves, before bouncing his eyes back and forth between Phil and Jack, who seemed to be engaged in a staring competition.

"Why tie elves together?" North questioned, a hand still on Jack's shoulder. _Here it comes._

"What can I say? I was bored." Jack smirked up, trying to read the guardian's expression. _Hopefully I'll still be allowed back for meetings._

North's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Bored? You are Guardian of Fun! You are not allowed to be bored." Jack shrugged, trying not to make it too obvious that he was also doing so to remove North's hand from his shoulder. _Enough stalling, North. Get on with it._

North stroked his beard, studying the boy. Jack couldn't tell what the expression was on the cossack's face, but he knew it couldn't be positive. _This can still work. If I begin my preparation for my pranks at one meeting, then go through with it the next week, I can still fit them in during the time I'll still be allowed at the Pole._

Santa burst out laughing, causing Jack to scrunch his nose and knit his eyebrows.

"Oh well, elves would have found some way to destroy toys without string business. And string was good idea. I might use for something… " _He's not banning me from the workshop? _

Jack heaved a sigh of relief. He shot Phil a victory grin, only to be surprised that the Yeti seemed to be not only accepting of his reprieve, but happy about it. He realized why when Phil handed him a broom along with a pat on the shoulder, followed by a Yetish phrase. Jack assumed it meant something like, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you still have torturous tasks while you're here."

Jack began to sweep up the mush of pastries on the floor, raising his eyes to North every so often as the man directed the Yeti's in returning order to the workshop. With all the hands, it was not long before the room was restored to its original state.

_First Bunny, now you? _Over the years, Jack had learned what to expect from people whenever he was involved. Ignoring him was most common. Shouting, a close second. The reactions ranged, but with Bunny's talk with him a few weeks ago, and North's carefree attitude now, he wasn't quite sure he knew people as well as he thought he did.

Jack grinned, not quite believing his good fortune. Though he didn't want to push his luck, he couldn't help but ask North, who was just approaching him after finishing his directing duties, "So, that's it? You're just dropping it?"

Wonder gingerly picked up a cookie off a plate, offering one to Jack, who shook his head politely, before munching on it. "Of course, Jack! Yetis overreacted. The real problem here, is that you are bored." _Huh? _"In my workshop, no less! I cannot let this slide." He tossed his remaining half-cookie to the side.

Jack's cheeks tinted red. _I was just bored! I didn't mean to make a big deal out of it._ He regretted bothering the Yetis for a purpose, that had then seemed significant, but now appeared to be a silly matter.

North pointed at the boy's chest.

"We cannot have the Guardian of Fun bored. We must protect your center." _That's a bit dramatic._

"Uh, that's all right, North. A little boredom isn't going to kill me." _But embarrassment might. _Jack rested his chin on his staff, observing as the guardian before him paced the room, eyebrows drawn together.

"Idea!" North pulled out his swords, jumping back and pointing both at the winter spirit. All the Yetis, and even a few elves, were smart enough to clear away from the immediate area. Jack, who believed the creatures to be smart in doing so, laughed nervously, slowly backing away.

"Follow!" North turned sharply, racing toward the globe room.

"Hey, wait up!" Jack caught up to North just in time to see him pull a lever. "What are you— "

"I am summoning guardians!"

"Uh, sorry, North, but you lost me a long time ago."

"My idea involves all the guardians."

"Because…?"

"We can't play with only two people!"

At this point, Jack was concerned for the Russian's sanity.

* * *

"Oi! This better be good." The Kangaroo shook snow from his fur.

"What is it? Is Pitch back? Did something happen to the toys? Is Jack hurt? Oh! There you are, Jack. Areyouokaywhydidyoucallus!?"

The winter spirit pointed his staff toward North. "Ask him."

"Ha! Nothing of sorts. We are doing team-building activity." North waited, probably expecting excitement from the others. At this point, however, he should have known better.

"Eeeeh, no." Bunnymund tapped his foot on the floor, preparing a quick getaway.

North, who still had his swords out, leapt over the hole that was forming, blocking it from Bunny's use.

"North! Watch what you do with those things!" Bunny yelped, jumping back.

"What brought this on, North?" Tooth hovered near the Sandman, both looking curiously at the guardian who had summoned them.

Jack braced himself for being the target of blame for the sudden gathering. Who would want to be taken from their work to play whatever game North had in mind? _Just when the Easter Kangaroo and I were starting to get along._ He thought back to a couple egg golems whose legs were frozen to the Warren ground last week. _Sort of starting to get along._

North put his swords away. "As I said before, we are team-building. We are not used to working together, so now we get used in case of another Pitch."

As Jack comprehended the meaning behind North's words, he beamed. He couldn't believe that Wonder had brought all the guardians together for _him,_ but wasn't drawing attention to the fact that it was because Jack was itching for something to do.

The guardians stared at North with apprehension.

"Is good idea, no?"

"No." Bunny mumbled, flatly.

Tooth, who enjoyed the company of the other guardians, shot Aster a glare. The glare, however, wasn't what worried the pooka. It was how she smiled sweetly while she did it. "Alright, North. What do you have in mind?"

North chuckled in response, horrifying the three onlookers, who knew that the non-direct answer to the question was not a good sign.

* * *

Jack panted, trying to catch his breath. _I sure wish I had my staff, right now._ Ducking behind a tree for cover, he carefully peeked around it, searching for the enemy. _I think I lost him. _He sighed with relief.

Footsteps.

Jack held his breath, his heart rate increasing. He clutched a tree branch he had picked off the ground tightly, hoping it was enough to fend off the pursuer.

Silence.

The boy frantically searched around him, wondering if he had imagined the sound. He stepped out of his hiding spot, turning in a circle to avoid a surprise attack.

A rustle from the bushes, much closer, now.

Jack took off running, but he kept his eyes behind him. _Am I being followed?_

_Thump. _A large, furry wall blocked his path.

Jack's vision went blurry as he hit the ground, his branch rolling out of reach.

"Didn't think you could actually hide from me, did you, mate?"

The boy gasped, desperately trying to crawl away. To escape.

A large paw wrapped around his ankle.

"You aren't getting away that easily." The voice sneered. Jack yelped, grasping for a hand hold on the ground, but finding none. _There's no way I'm getting out of this without my staff. _

His attacker grunted, and the tension on his ankle released. Scrambling up, he barely had time to register what was happening before North's voice gave him directions.

"Run East, I'll follow behind." So Jack ran.

He kept running through the forest, hoping North was behind him, as he said he would be, and not captured by the cossacks.

A hand touched his shoulder. Jack leapt to the side, holding his hands up protectively.

"Jack…_gasp…_ It's me…_pant… _We can stop… He lost our trail… " Each phrase was interrupted with a gulp of air. The winter spirit collapsed on the ground, fanning himself to keep cool. North bent down, hands on his knees. "Ugh, I am, as you… would say… , out of… shape."

Jacks rapid breathing was no better than North's. "Tell me again… why I can't have… my staff."

"Would be unfair advantage. Is why I got rid of my swords." North stood up straight, stretching his back.

"Wasn't Sandy with you?" Jack got back on his feet, looking past North to see if he had somehow missed the man's presence.

"He was captured by Tooth shortly before I found you." North did a quick take on their surroundings. "You two make awful thieves! If not for me you both would be captured now."

Jack laughed. "Come on, I doubt you would do much better."

"Ha! Of course I would. I was once bandit, after all." Not giving what he had said a second though, North snapped a branch from a tree.

"You were a… what?" Jack raised his eyebrows, a million questions racing through his mind.

North ruffled the boy's hair. "We discuss later. Now we work on getting Sandy back before he spills codeword."

"I doubt Sandy is one to spill." Jack joked as he began climbing a tree, halting on the second branch. "So, we lose if Bunny and Tooth capture all three of us, or if they learn our codeword, right?"

North nodded. "Yes. Exactly right."

"How do we win?"

North guffawed. "We don't! Is just how long we keep from losing." Noticing Jack's skeptical expression, he continued. "It is like life of real thief. You win until you're caught, which ultimately means you lose. Cossacks lose until they catch you, which ultimately means they win. All about endgame. We just keep end from happening as long as we can."

The winter spirit shrugged. "I guess I can accept that." Jack continued climbing the tree, casting his eyes about the landscape once he reached the top. "I think I see some dream sand about two miles South."

"Then that is where we go. Hurry down. Bunnymund is excellent tracker, and he'll most likely pick up our trail again soon." He took the stick he had been carrying and drew a path in the dirt. "We will approach from this angle. I want you to stay close to me so that you don't get caught. Understand."

Jack saluted.

"Very good." North smiled down at the boy, and the two made their way South.

* * *

Jack watched how natural it seemed for North to make his way through the forest. He avoided obstacles with ease, never pausing as he nimbly bounded over and around obstacles.

"So, North." Jack ducked under a branch, nearly tripping over a protruding root as he did so.

"Yes, Jack?"

"I was just sort of wondering, how did you manage to hold off Bunny for long enough for us to get away? I mean, he's quick and agile— " Jack halted as North avoided some low-hanging branches as if he were in his own workshop. "Which I guess you are too, but… "

North nodded in understanding, not seeming to take the slightest offense in what Jack was implying. "If it came down to one-on-one fight between us, you'd bet on Bunnymund, no?"

"He seems more the warrior type, is what I'm trying to say."

"Yes, Bunny is warrior. A very good one. If we _were_ in a fight—-a _real_ fight, not game or training exercise, like this—-I admit he _may _beat me. Notice how I say _may_." North gave Jack a meaningful look. "I have tricks up my sleeve myself, too, you know."

"He sure seemed to take dragging me to their base serious to me." Jack muttered, absentmindedly rubbing his hands together, which were still a bit red from his attempts to escape Bunny's grasp on his ankle.

"Ha! You should see him in action. Today and Easter didn't give him justice." North paused, waiting for Jack, who had fallen a few paces behind him, to catch up. "We still don't take easy on each other. Though is a game, we want to stay prepared for _real_ threat, like Pitch. Fight to win, but keep damage to opposing side at minimum." When Jack did catch up, he leaned against a staff that wasn't there, stumbling a bit to the side.

They continued walking, though North now slowed his pace slightly, to Jack's relief.

"This new game you decided to play may work for you seasoned veterans— "

The ex-thief snorted. "You make us sound old… " Jack raised an eyebrow. "Right, right. I concur. Please continue."

"But this 'training' game, as you've been calling it, isn't as useful when I can't really match up to the rest of you in the process." North opened his mouth to contradict, but Jack continued. "To prove my point, I'm almost positive Sandy got caught by the other team on _purpose_ so that I wouldn't be the first one 'arrested.'"

North rubbed the back of his neck at the last statement, not making eye contact. Coughing, he replied, "I don't know what you mean by that."Jack crossed his arms. "But I do suppose a little extra defenses may be in order." Wonder held out an arm to stop the boy. "We'll worry about the cossacks, later. For now," North smirked slyly, "I show you _exactly_ how I got Bunny off our tails, so to speak."

Jack's face brightened, but he immediately tried to mask it with indifference, not wanting to embarrass himself by showing how excited he really was. "Alright. What do you got?"

North shook his head, not fooled by the fake lack of enthusiasm. "Systema."

"Syst-whata?"

"Systema. Otherwise known as Russian Martial Arts. Was developed in response to many invaders. Russians were usually outnumbered against vastly different opponents, so we used a flexible fighting style that can handle many types of combat styles."

Jack smirked. "I always thought Russia's winters were what did most of their fighting. You're welcome, by the way."

North laughed. "Our weather did help, but think of Battle of Stalingrad! Russians adapted to situation of invasion, reinforcements surrounding those who surrounded the city! And you cannot take credit for Russian weather. You were not around for majority of its history."

"Okay, you've convinced me. Back to Systema, please?"

"If you're ready to pay attention." Jack nodded eagerly. "The three vital parts of Systema are combat skill, strong spirit, and a healthy body. This martial arts is not about destroying, but creating— "

"Now you're starting to sound like Miyagi."

North stared, blankly.

"You know? From _Karate Kid_?"

"Interruptions."

"Sorry."

North massaged his temples. "Where was I… oh yes, I remember. Systema is identifying our weaknesses, our strengths, to unmask true strength."

"Can we get to the actual fighting, now?" Jack asked, impatiently.

North nodded. "Yes, yes. We start off with basic move, for now. Will help in case of surprise attack again."

"Loosen your muscles. Stay relaxed when you strike." Jack nodded, visibly relaxing his muscles. "Also, try to strike downward. Allows to work with gravity and opponent has less options to avoid it."

"Alright, loose muscles, punch down."

"But not only down."

"You just said— "

"Yes. I did. But again, Systema is meant to defend against unique fighting styles. You must be prepared to strike from any angle. These hits are not focused on hurting the opponent, but on directing their own strikes to your advantage."

"Confusing, but I think I get the basic idea."

"Then we spar."

Jack widened his eyes. "On second thought, maybe I'm not— "

"We go slowly. Just practice the movements and the style." North took an offensive stance, lightly moving to 'punch' Jack, though it was really only fast enough to be a tap if it did land. Jack raised his arms to block. "Don't tense." Jack loosened the muscles in his arms, but only managed to stumble backwards when North's hand met his arms.

"Don't try to directly block. Is better to direct my punch." North placed Jack's hands on his own forearm, going through the motion of directing his punch away from causing damage. "Now you try without my help." After several attempts, Jack managed to successfully direct North's punch away from himself, causing the man to stumble.

"I did it!" Jack grinned at the older guardian, who returned the smile, proudly.

"Very good. You picked up quickly. You saw me lose footing, yes?" Jack nodded. "That is the point where you would run."

"Run? Isn't that where I would make a counterattack? A little stumble isn't going to keep my opponent away for long."

"But it will give you some space to get away. In many cases, of course, you would not want to take your chances by turning your back on the opponent, but as you are not trained in fighting, yet, is best to run."

Jack sighed, but saw the truth in North's statement.

North looked toward the sky, calculating the position of the sun to what it had been before their training session. "Is time we get moving. We don't want to keep Sandy waiting for long." He patted Jack on the back, motioning for them to return to their journey.

The two walked in silence for a while, North's eyes wandering toward Jack with a delighted gleam, while Jack's never left the forest floor. At last, the boy decided to voice his thoughts. "North?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. It's been a long time since someone's really taken the time to teach me something."

North frowned down at Jack. The expression was one that rarely showed on his face, but was appearing more and more frequently now that Jack had joined their ranks. The Guardian of Wonder found himself, well, wondering, if this worry he felt would continue for as long as Jack stayed with the guardians. "And will not be last time. These lessons will continue, and I expect you to be vigilant in your learning."

"Yes, sir!" Jack laughed.

And North knew that he would continue to worry about the boy, though he felt in no way detrimented by this new concern, but glad that Jack was there for him to worry about.

* * *

As they continued, North stopped Jack every so often to teach him another move for self defense, or to explain a tip for staying out-of-sight in a battle.

_North sure knows a lot about avoiding 'cossacks.' Didn't he say he was a bandit? _Despite his companions gruff appearance, he had trouble picturing North as an outlaw, especially one that took things from other people.

The Guardian of Wonder tapped Jack's shoulder, motioning for him to be silent. He pointed toward a break in the trees, and together, they crept forward. Gradually, Jack could hear the voices of Tooth and Bunny.

"I'm tellin you, sheila, he's not gonna tell us anything. It would be better for us to focus on catching North and Jack."

Jack peeked through his spot in the bushes, shushing Baby Tooth, who had appeared behind him and had started chirping in his ear. Sandy glared at his captors, but his lips were tilted upward, as if he was trying hard not to laugh. Bunny stood with his arms folded, tapping a foot on the ground repeatedly. Tooth listened to Bunny seriously, but every time she glanced at the Sandman, she let out a small giggle at his mixed attempted anger, yet suppressed amusement.

"You _have_ already tracked them down, Aster, but you can't drag both of them back here by yourself. Maybe I could fly— "

"No. If the others saw you flying, they'd issue a penalty. Probably take Sandy back, or something." Bunny rested his chin on his fisted paw. "The only way I can think of getting them both is to separate them."

Tooth nodded. "Yes, last time they separated we caught Sandy and you almost caught Jack. But I doubt they'd try that again after already losing one. If I went, too, we could even the odds, but that leaves an opportunity for them to rescue Sandy."

The two stood in silence for a few moments. _We've gotta find a way to get Sandy back. _Jack frowned as his mind traveled back to teeth collecting a month back. Fear broke through his defenses as he observed the Sandman. He rubbed his hands together, earnestly trying to ignore the repeated history of Sandy being the first out of their group to… go.

"Is just game, Jack. Sandy will be fine." Kind eyes met those of Jack, who allowed a small smile to return to his face.

"You do know their listening, right Tooth?" Jack snapped his head back toward the clearing.

Tooth eyed the spot where Jack and North thought they were hidden. "Of course, Aster. They've been here for a few minutes, now. Do they even remember that Baby Tooth is on _our_ team?"

_Baby Tooth is on their… crap. _

Jack turned to look behind him, noticing that North was no longer next to him. _Traitor. _Baby Tooth waved, before flying into Jack's hood. As Winter now had his back to the clearing, the fairy furiously fluttered towards that direction from inside the hoodie, causing Jack to stumble out of the bushes. A strong paw replaced the Baby Tooth, swiftly dragging him toward the "jail" area.

The boy struggled, but soon realized he would not be able to escape Bunny's surprisingly vice-like grip on his hood. _A lot of good that Systema stuff did._

"Got you, Jackie." He had rapidly been pulled into the 'jail' area next to the Sandman. Sandy had been overall amused from the start of this game, and Jack suddenly found the entire situation extremely funny as they play-acted the cossacks and thieves roles to the best of their poor-acting abilities.

Though the two tried to keep a forlorn expression, they could hardly suppress their laughter.

The winter spirit spoke in between chuckles. "At least I wasn't the first one caught."

Sandy made an image of Bunny pulling Jack into the jail zone.

Tooth continued her giggles from before they had caught Jack. "Sandy's right. You were still captured, Jack. It doesn't really matter in the long run." The boy sighed, but it was too dramatic to be genuine.

"Alright, you caught us. What now? You'll never catch the _real_ bandit." He emphasized the 'real' in order to reveal to himself whether or not the other guardians knew what North had previously spoken of.

Bunny scowled. "He _told_ you about that? Just what we need. North being a bad example for Jack Frost." He lowered his eyes toward the younger spirit. "Don't get any ideas."

Jack smirked. "Trust me, I have plenty of those on my own. But North _has_ shown me a thing or two."

"Great." Aster murmured.

Tooth bounced up and down, still trying to suppress a laugh. "To answer your question, we don't need North. We just need you to cough up the codeword." Her eyes dance as she looked Jack up and down, probably plotting the thieves' demise.

"Good luck with that." Jack leaned back, his hand lazily holding up the back of his head. "I won't tell you anything."

Bunny raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Then I guess we'll just have to interrogate you."

"And how are you planning to— "

"Fairies!" Jack and Sandy glanced at one another, then toward the swarm of Tooth minions that had gathered behind Tooth. "You are free to fawn over Jack's teeth."

The fairies attacked.

Jack's eyes pleaded with Sandy's, but the Sandman shook his head, his eyes downcast. 'There's nothing I can do,' he seemed to say.

Fairies pulled at Jack's mouth, fighting to get to his teeth. Once they pried his mouth open, they began to climb inside, causing the winter spirit to gag. Some of the fairies rubbed his teeth, fondly, while others just sat in his mouth, marveling at the beauty of his incisors.

"Agree to tell us the codeword and Tooth'll call 'em off," Bunnymund ordered, chuckling quietly at the scene in front of him. _Where is North at a time like this?_

Winter held up his hands in defeat.

"Alright, that's enough ladies," Tooth addressed the fairies, who pouted, but did as they were told. Jack coughed up a few feathers, hoping North had a plan. The boy pretended that he was still recovering from the fairies, and milked the feather choking for as long as he could to give Wonder a chance to show up.

"Stop stalling, Jackie. We know ya don't have _that_ many feathers in your mouth."

"Then it seems you have underestimated the tooth fairies." He continued his exaggerated choking motions.

But the bunny was not buying it. "Just cut it out, ya show— ow!" The pooka drew the attention of the two prisoners, as well as his partner. Rubbing the back of his head, he picked up a small Christmas present. "Very funny, North!" He shouted. "But if ya think this will help ya— "

The present exploded. Not in the way things did in the action movies Jack had peaked through windows to watch, but in a colorful, confetti way. Red and green paint, as well as silver strips of tissue paper, completely covered the pooka.

Jack and Sandy did not even attempt to contain their laughter this time.

"This isn't funny! The paint got in my eye… " Bunny rubbed his eyes, blinded, while Tooth began having a meltdown.

"It's on your teeth, Aster!" She forgot her prison guarding duties, and their rule against flying, fluttering over the paint-soaked guardian. "What if it stains? Does paint cause cavities? Ihaveneverdealtwiththiskindofsituationbefore! Ladies! Toothbrushes! Floss! Whitener! Get me anything you can!" The baby teeth scrambled away.

"Oi! Tooth, calm down. We need to— "

"Don't speak!"

"Yes ma'am."

Jack was in fits. _I'm definitely using this against the kangaroo, later._ _He looks like a Christmas tree._

A tap on his shoulder. Sandy motioned Jack to follow him, pointing to a suspiciously human-like form behind one of the bushes.

"Are we allowed to just leave?" Jack whispered. "Doesn't he have to tag us, or something?" Sandy shrugged, so Jack followed him toward the bushes.

"Tooth!" Aster yelled over her fussing, still trying to get paint out of his eyes. "Their making a break for it."

"But your teeth!" Tooth cried. Jack tuned them out, searching for North.

"Where did he go?" The winter spirit whispered to Sandy, who smiled, pointing back at Bunny and Tooth. North had managed to sneak around them while the two were distracted and Jack had been too caught up in following Sandy to notice. He grabbed the unusually long ribbon that had once been wrapped around the exploding present, tieing the feet of the pooka and fairy queen together before they realized what had happened.

The two most likely could have quickly gotten themselves untied or worked together to 'tag' North into their prison, but Bunnymund was blinded, Toothania's thoughts were on teeth, and they failed to work together. Each having their own idea on how to get out of the situation, they tripped over themselves, ending up even more tangled in the ribbon than they had started.

Jack and Sandy returned to the other guardians, both bending down to help untangle the two, while suppressing amusement.

"What happened to the rules?" Jack asked North.

"Yeah, what _did _happen." Bunny grumbled.

"Was emergency!" North picked up the remains of his present-bomb. "My two teammates were captured. Besides, we are bandits! We can ignore a few rules."

"Ignore a few rules?!" Bunny spluttered. "I think you managed to break every rule in this game. And you've blinded me!"

"Ba! Don't be downer. Was just distraction. I must say, my present worked better than expected. And paint is of my own creation. It will not hurt your eyes. Only blind for a few minutes."

Bunny successfully untangled a single foot from the ribbon, and managed to open his eyes for the first time since the explosion. "When did you even have this—"

"I am always prepared, Bunny. And you can thank Jack for giving me ribbon idea. He tied elves together this morning." North patted Jack on the back.

Jack leaned down, a hand stroking his chin as he made a show of studying the pooka. "Told you I have plenty of ideas on my own. And you know, Kangaroo. Red and green is a good look for you."

"Oh rack off you show— "

"Jack!" North interrupted, gleefully. "I take back what I say about thieves cannot win. We have won; I decided."

Baby Tooth landed on Jack's shoulder, nuzzling into his neck as Jack fondly rubbed the top of her head with his finger. "No thanks to my Systema skills, though. I really managed to louse up when Bunny grabbed my hood."

"Nonsense! You cannot expect to be fighting master, like myself, after only one day. We have much left to do." North whistled. A tingle of bells could be heard as a reindeer-pulled sleigh landed near them in the clearing. Santa approached the sleigh, rustling through some things before tossing Jack his staff and Bunny his boomerang. Pulling out his own swords and placing them at his sides, North announced, "Let us return to Pole. We can rest up from tiring game."

Sandy grinned, but his eyes drooped and his head began to nod off.

Tooth, who had received a toothbrush from a returned fairy, didn't appear to hear him, as she was furiously trying to brush Bunny's teeth.

"We are a bit tuckered out," Bunnymund managed, while attempting to keep Tooth out of his mouth.

Jack gave a small smile, observing the strange spirits who he was somehow warming up to.

"As long as I can steer the sleigh."

* * *

**A/N Thanks to all readers, reviewers, favoriters(I know this isn't a word), and followers! (This sentence is getting repetitive, but it must be said! :D)**

**And the game they're playing in this is Cossacks and Thieves, or an (extremely) intense version of Cops and Robbers. I do not recommend attempting any of these stunts at home. These characters are immortal and therefore able to handle this version of Cossacks and Thieves(similarly to how half-bloods are able to play a perfectly semi-safe game of capture the flag in the **_**Percy Jackson**_** series). I don't know much about Systema or any hand-to-hand combat really, so sorry for any inaccuracies. I loosely used a site titled "Soviet Children's Yard Games" for directions on Cossacks and Thieves, and got info on Systema from a russianmartialarts website.**

**As you've probably noticed, all of these stories are connected and revolve around Jack's insecurities and his relationships with the other guardians. Please let me know if you want a direct continuation of any of the stories(such as with the dreams Sandy gives Jack) or have suggestions of your own. I appreciate all your feedback!**


	6. Just a Nightmare

**A/N This takes place a few weeks after The Game of Sandy. **

**Sorry for the super long wait. I wrote this awhile ago, but wasn't sure about it so I kind of put off editing it. Oops :)**

**This was inspired by 3DPhantom's suggestions(Thank you by the way! I included some of the points you mentioned in your suggestion, but it kind of took me to a bit of a different route than you probably had in mind. Hope you like it, anyway!). And to the Guest who asked for more sad-focused stories, hopefully they'll be coming. This one might be. We'll see haha:) **

**A special thanks to Mshushu22 for pre-reading my chapters and helping with the editing process!**

**And thank you to everyone else who reviewed, followed, favorited, and read! You all rock!**

* * *

Jack watched Sophie sleep.

Okay, that sounded creepy. _Pitch would be proud, _Jack mused.

It was more like, Jack was checking in on the Bennetts to make sure everything was, quote, 'snowballs and fun times.' Or at least in their dreams. Jack didn't actually expect them to be outside at this time of night.

Jamie was tucked safely under his covers, snuggling with a stuffed bunny-rabbit that he would never admit he slept with. A quiet snore rang out steadily in what would have been silence.

Yep. A peaceful night.

_Better get going on that snowstorm due up North _(The North Pole, to be specific. Santa needed a bit of Jack Frost magic to brighten his workshop, after all). He flew out Jamie's window with quick check on Sophie from outside her own window.

But what he saw gave him pause.

Above Sophie's head was not the golden dancing figures he expected, but dark, gloomy creatures. Sharp teeth and claws were distinct amongst otherwise nebulous bodies. Sophie tossed and turned, moaning quietly.

Jack lifted the window, but it wouldn't budge.

Tears pooled out Sophie's closed eyes.

_Ugh! _Jack froze the lock on the window, throwing it open and storming inside, prepared to face any nightmare sand there might be. Spying some, he swiped with his staff. As the black sand simply dispersed before reforming, Jack let out a snarl that only made an appearance when something threatened his friends. His _family._

"Get away from her!" Jack growled, his eyes narrowing. But the figures were not swayed, and Sophie's whimpers continued. He tried freezing them, but soon realized the figures weren't tangible at all. No matter what he tried, they would return, and the nightmare lived on.

Jack ran his hands through his hair, muttering under his breath. His eyes searched the room, hoping for something, _anything,_ to help the girl.

_Okay, okay. This is going to be fine. It's a nightmare; kids have those. I just need to wake her up. Yeah, I'll just wake her. Everything will be fine._

He had difficulty steadying his breathing, but did so long enough to carefully place a hand on the crying girl's shoulder.

"Sophie," Jack whispered. The girl covered her ears with her hands, sniffling. "Sophie, wake up." The boy shook her gently, but Sophie's eyes remained closed.

If Jack wasn't panicking before, he was now. _It's just a nightmare, isn't it? She won't wake! What am I going to— How am I going to— _The winter spirit once again attempted to steady his breathing.

_Calm down. Think. You're a guardian now. Just think up a solution. _Jack racked his brain. _Come on, Jack. It's like thinking up a game— a solution to helping a scared little girl. _His sister popped into his mind, leaving a dull ache in his stomach. _No time for that now. Focus on what's in front of you. Think!_

_Sandy. _

The boy nodded, as if trying to reassure himself. Jack grasped his staff and turned on his heels, leaping toward and out the window. _Sandy will know what to do! _

He could have hit himself for not thinking of it sooner.

* * *

_Of all the places he could have been, it _had _to be here._

Jack had searched the entire globe for the Sandman, and—-of course—-he had been on the last continent the winter spirit had bothered to look: Africa.

He debated whether or not it was worth all the trouble to— _no. Think of Sophie. _Jack scowled at himself for even considering the thought. _Of course Sophie is worth it. Any child would be, but Sophie is especially worth it._

The Sahara Desert was not Jack's favorite vacation spot. Jack may even go as far as to say he _hated_ the place. During the night, it was fine, fun even, as it was cool enough for him to be comfortable, and a new enough environment compared to Burgess that it was interesting. The camels, specifically, delighted the boy. Jack was glad that the timezone was only a few hours later than that of Burgess, so it was still night, but sunrise was just around the corner and he swore he would be long gone by then.

Winter did a quick take on the desert landscape. He had noticed the dreamsand from a few miles back, but it was difficult to make out amongst the dense hills of Saharan sand. Though, he had to admit, the fact that the sand he was looking for glowed and floated did make his search immensely easier. Finding a trail of Sandy's work, he followed it to its source.

"Sandy!" Jack yelled, causing the man to turn toward him from… whatever he was doing. Jack wasn't quite sure.

Dreams grinned on seeing the boy, motioning him over. He excitedly began forming symbols, but faltered when he noticed Jack's expression, which the boy assumed portrayed his worry and fear.

"Look, we don't have much time. It's Sophie. She— "

The wind tugged at his hood.

"Not now wind, we need to— "

An unnatural sound caused him pause. If Jack hadn't been in the middle of the desert, he would have thought it was the waves of the ocean crashing into each other. Sandy widened his eyes at something over Jack's shoulder, but before he could turn to see what caught Dream's attention, the Sandman grabbed the boy's sleeve, dragging him away from the sound. Jack was about to protest, but a glance behind him caused him to submit, as long as it got him away from the looming cloud of darkness that threatened to envelop every star in the sky; and much more worrying, the moon.

Sandy and Jack raced at their top speed, but the storm that chased them wasn't giving up. The roaring winds and burning sand caught up to them, stinging Jack's skin and blinding his view. At this point, instead of Sandy leading Jack by his sleeve, the boy hung onto Sandy's forearm like a lifeline.

Though Jack couldn't see, he felt them begin to descend. _What are you doing, Sandy? We need to get out of here!_ He was unable to say what was on his mind with sand pelting him, but he hoped the thoughts he sent the man were getting through.

They weren't, and as they continued to lose altitude, Jack knew his telepathic voice went unheard.

His feet hit ground.

The first thing Jack noticed, was that he no longer felt the bombardment of sand against his face, though his skin still felt raw. The second, was that the sound of false ocean waves was muffled. Slowly, Jack opened one eye, then the other.

They were surrounded by cavern walls and tunnels, illuminated by Sandy's dreamsand. The cool air and hard rock suggested that they were deep underground, far below the loose sand that had attacked them only moments earlier. Tracks lined the ground, but they were weathered and faulty.

"Is this an abandoned mine?" Jack wondered aloud, peering about the area.

Sandy nodded.

"So you brought us here to avoid the sandstorm?"

Another nod. Dreams circled the boy like a vulture, poking him in the arms and back.

"What are you doing?" Winter drew away from the Sandman, rubbing his arm.

A hand of dreamsand appeared over the Sandman's head. It pointed toward Jack, then changed into an O.K. sign, followed by a question mark.

"I'm fine." Jack replied, softly. "Just not used to sand attacking me."

Sandy smirked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

_On second thought, I think 'being attacked by sand' is becoming a habit._

Jack pointed his staff at Sandy. "You know, before I met you guardians, sand has always been perfectly polite to me."

He was responded with a shrug and amused smile.

_Wait. _

_Sand. _

_Nightmare sand. _

_Sophie!_

Jack gasped, wildly searching about. "We have to get out of here." He drifted up toward where he thought the exit might be.

_Where is it?_ He flew, desperately trying to find a way out, but not daring to venture too far into the tunnels.

Sandy remained in his spot on the mine floor, eyebrows scrunched and a question mark above him.

"We need to— We have to—" Jack began banging his fists on the ceiling. _No, no, no, no. I have to get out. We have to get out. I can't— _

A hand on his shoulder. Jack tried to shrug it off, but the grip was firm. He turned to see Sandy's calm expression, "Do you know how to get us out of here?"

Sandy closed his eyes and shook his head. He produced a few symbols that Jack interpreted as, 'We'll have to wait out the storm.'

Jack returned Sandy's head shake, but far more vigorously. He swung his arms up to continue banging on solid rock, but the Sandman pulled back his arm.

Winter pulled away. "You don't understand! We have to get out of here! Sophie. She's having a nightmare, and not the normal kind, either. I couldn't wake her up! I tried, but I couldn't do anything! And now she's alone— "

Sandy widened his eyes at Jack's outburst, but immediately narrowed them when the boy returned to trying to break out with his bare hands.

Sandy gripped Jack's arm, more tightly than previously. "Look, I'm just… " He trailed off when he saw the Guardian of Dream's tight lips and glare.

"You don't understand." He repeated quietly.

Sandy's eyes softened. He wrapped his hands around Jack's wrists, bringing the boy's red and blue hands into view. Jack stared for a moment before pulling back, curling his fingers around his staff.

The Guardian of Fun slowly fell toward the floor, sitting with his knees to his chest. Sandy landed in front of him, studying Jack before seating himself next to him.

"I can't do anything." Jack whispered. "She needs me, and I let her down."

Sandy created a few symbols roughly translating to, 'tell me the whole story.'

And so, Jack did.

* * *

"You see now? We have to get out of here. We have to figure out what's wrong. We have to… have to help her." But with each sentence, Jack's voice faded out into hopelessness.

Sandy wrapped an arm around Jack, trying to reassure him.

"Heh. Some guardian I am. I can't even keep one girl from having nightmares."

This time, Sandy didn't even try with the symbols. This was too important for a guessing game.

'You can't protect them from everything,' he spelled out.

"But she was c-crying. I couldn't stand to see her so upset. I just want her to be happy, but I was so helpless. And now we're trapped by a stupid dust storm. How am I supposed to help her when I'm on a completely different continent?"

'You do more for the children than any of us would ever expect of you.'

Jack scooted away from Sandy's side so that they faced each other. "I don't want to do what's expected of me! I'm Jack Frost, remember? Jack Frost: the trouble-maker. Jack Frost? Oh! You mean the one that makes a mess wherever he goes."

Sandy held up a hand. 'No. You are Jack Frost: the one who brings fun and joy. You're the one who understands the children. You're the one who makes everyone else smile, even when you don't feel like you can do so yourself.'

Jack opened his mouth.

'Don't think I haven't noticed how hard you work to lift the spirits of others. I'm sure _all_ of the guardians have noticed.'

Jack still looked dubious, but didn't argue. "Yeah… Sorry for the rant there. I'm starting to sound like a Disney character."

A question mark.

"You know, like Mickey Mouse? The Little Mermaid? Elsa and Anna, more recently?"

'Are these people you are acquainted with?'

"Nevermind. I think I just have too much time on my hands. Thanks for the pep-talk, but Sophie's what's important right now."

'You are not leaving until the sandstorm clears.'

Jack was silent for a moment.

"Fine, but as soon as it stops— " The Sandman nodded, but as he did so, his eyes drooped. The boy watched as Sandy fell asleep, hunched over in a sitting position.

Jack sighed. _You can sleep anywhere, can't you? I might as well get some shut-eye as well while we're waiting._

Jack leaned onto his back, wishing for the comfort of stars watching over him as they usually did. Facing the Sandman, he remembered that Dreams, himself, was from space. Sandy had shown him the tales from when he was a Star Pilot, back in a time when he had traveled with Mother Nature, herself.

Reaching for some dreamsand that floated around them, Jack smiled at the glowing sand.

_They aren't stars, but I guess the pixie dust will have to do._

* * *

Darkness.

He couldn't see anything. He didn't know where he was.

Cold.

It was the kind of cold that penetrated the entire body. It was the kind where a person knew they would never be warm again.

The unknown.

Jack opened his mouth to shout for help, but water quickly filled it. The surprise caused him to intake a breath, leaving him choking.

Trapped.

He reached out in front of him, clawing at oblivion, only to hit a solid, impenetrable force.

_Nobody's coming, _a voice said in the back of Jack's mind.

Crying.

It was a little girl's cries. He recognized it, but couldn't quite place who it was.

"Jack."

His name echoed.

But it wasn't one voice.

It was two.

"Jack, I'm scared," Said the voice he believed to be the first one he heard.

"Scary, Jack!" The second—-a younger voice than the first, Jack concluded—-rang out.

He was no longer surrounded by water, but stood suspended in the air, above an iced-over lake.

Two girls shivered on the ice, about ten feet apart. The brown-haired one looked on at him with terrified eyes. The blonde, messy-haired girl had her eyes clenched shut. Both seemed vaguely familiar.

_Crack._

_No! Not again! _He wasn't exactly aware that a similar situation had occurred before, but he didn't give his thought much assessment and pinpointed the crack to be under the brown-haired girl.

He dived down and swooped her into his arms, carrying the girl away from danger and landing on solid ground at the side of the lake.

"Thanks, Jack!" She beamed.

_Splash._

Jack turned, only to find the blonde girl absent, and a small hole in the ice.

_No! _He made to go after her, but felt a hand on his arm.

"You can't protect them from everything." The girl softly sang.

"Let go. She needs my help." Jack replied firmly.

The girl gave an eerie smile.

"You're too late, Jack. You can't protect them from everything." She repeated, her voice sincere, but her facial expression mocking.

He yanked his arm away, rushing toward the hole in the ice, but it was gone. The lake was replaced by darkness. Nothingness. Jack turned back to the girl he had saved, only to see the same scene, or lack thereof.

Jack curled up into a ball, closing his eyes. Only one word played through his mind. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. _

* * *

Jack sat up, short of breath.

Eyes rapidly moving about, he sighed.

Sandy sat beside him, in an apparent deep slumber.

_That's right. We were caught in a sandstorm. Now we're taking shelter in an old mine._

Jack pulled up his knees and buried his face into his arms.

_It was just a dream. Just a nightmare._

"If only things were that simple, Jack." A deep voice echoed throughout the tunnels.

_Pitch._

"That's right, boy. Did you miss me? I seem to recall you being quite happy to see me overwhelmed by my own fears."

The venom in the voice was difficult to miss. Pitch Black formed from the shadows, wariness in his eyes, but a confident smirk displayed.

"W-what are you doing here?" Jack held up his staff.

"Tut, tut, tut. Now, Jack. Is that any way to treat someone who only tried to befriend you?"

"You tried to get me to help you bring fear to the world."

Pitch laughed hollowly. "Fear was already in the world. I simply desired to use it so that I would no longer have to live in hiding. Is there something wrong with that?"

"When it threatens the children, yes."

"Oh no. You're beginning to sound like those dreadful guardians." Pitch tilted his head. "And before you say anything, I assure you, that _was_ an insult."

Remembering Sandy, Jack turned to wake him, but the Guardian of Dreams was gone.

"Where is he?" He began backing away from Pitch, but kept his staff pointed.

"Where is who?" Pitch chuckled. "Oh? You mean the Sandman? Don't fret, he's safe under my care."

"G-give him back."

"And ruin all the fun? No, no. I don't think so. Besides, you enjoy good fun, don't you?" Pitch prowled closer.

"What do you want?" Jack stumbled a bit as he backed away.

Pitches smile grew wider. "Now you're asking the important questions. Let's see. I want power, revenge… " A nightmare horse formed next to Pitch. He stroked its head gingerly, seeming lost in thought. "But for the moment, I'll settle for making you disappear."

The nightmare horse charged. Jack dodged, barely keeping the horse from skimming his side.

_I can fight Pitch. He's weak, and I've beat him before, _Jack told himself.

_But I've never been able to do it alone._

The nightmare went for a second go at Jack, and this time the boy tripped when he dove, his staff rolling out of reach. _Every time I need you! _Jack glared at the staff, as if the situation was its fault.

"Don't worry. You won't be needing this shabby old thing anymore." Pitch lingered over the boy before picking up his staff. "Oh, well." He taunted. The Boogieman swung his staff against the wall, splitting it into several pieces.

Jack gasped, pain ripping into his chest.

"Hmm. It doesn't seem like _you'll_ be guarding anyone anymore, will you?" Jack closed his eyes and covered his ears, but the words still reached him.

"You couldn't protect your family after you died. You couldn't bother yourself to _remember _them, after all. You hurt people with your cold on a rather regular basis. You've let Sandy get taken by my nightmares… twice now. It's pathetic, really. You couldn't even protect a little girl from a nightmare, and had to rush back to find a _real _guardian to do the work for you. And now, you've abandoned her. You've left her to deal with the unforgiving night on her own. The trouble you cause in this world gives even the incarnation of terror itself a run for his money." Jack felt a cold hand grip his hair, forcing him to stand up. "Terror refers to myself, if you couldn't guess." The boy opened his eyes to meet the two golden orbs before him, and a set of grinning, sharp teeth.

_He's right. I can't protect anyone. I can't do this, not alone._

Jack shut his eyes, feeling the tears run down his cheeks.

* * *

Hands shook Jack's shoulders.

_Pitch!_

Winter scrambled away. His hands finding a rock, he raised it over his head to throw it at the Boogieman…

Only, it wasn't the Boogieman. Sanderson stood before Jack, his eyes wide with worry.

_Sandy! _Jack barrelled into the man, sobbing into his shoulder.

"I was— you were—" He hiccuped.

Sandy patted the boys back.

Jack pulled back sharply, swiftly wiping tears from his face. He grinned lopsidedly. "Sorry, that was a bit weird. I didn't mean to— " He stopped to read the words that Sandy was spelling out with his dreamsand.

'It was just a nightmare. You're okay, now.'

— _be a burden. _He finished his previous sentence privately

"Yeah, it was pretty dumb of me to get freaked out like that."

'No. It's okay to be scared sometimes, Jack. It's my fault for falling asleep before I could give you good dreams.'

Jack Sandy, poking him in a similar manner to when Dreams had checked on him after they had reached the mine. "Wait you are real right? This isn't some inception dream within a dream within a dream deal, is it?"

'I don't believe so.'

"I'll accept that then." He listened for the sound of wind. Hearing none, he asked, "Has the sandstorm stopped?"

Sandy nodded, pointing toward a tunnel.

"You lead, then." Jack followed Sandy down the tunnel, keeping an eye on him in case he suddenly disappeared, like he had in the dream.

"Out of curiosity, what were you doing out here? We're miles away from any towns, so you couldn't be spreading dreams."

'I was cultivating sand for those dreams.'

"You get your sand from the Sahara?"

'Sometimes.'

_Well that was… vague._

Jack followed Sandy to a square door, or, what used to be a door. Now it was just splintered wood that had aged from little-use.

"You know, it's a lot easier to communicate with you when you spell things out like you have been. Maybe you should try that from now on."

'I did that today so that I could make sure to get my point across to you.'

"I still don't see why you can't just do that all the time."

Sandy grinned. 'It's more fun to see people guess.'

Jack tilted his head. "Is that why you don't speak?"

'I do not speak because I do not want to awake those who are sleeping.' _That makes sense, I guess. In a way. _As Jack tried to wrap his mind around the logic of not waking people when there was nobody around, they ascended out of the mine. Jack squinted as the sun glared down at them.

_The sun, oh no._

"Come on, Sandy! We need to go check on Sophie." He allowed the wind to carry him, but the wind was hot. _Burning. _Jack returned to the ground, the heat giving him a massive headache.

Sandy placed a hand on his shoulder, wearing a worried expression.

"I'm good. Let's just go." Jack did his best to ignore the heat as they headed for Burgess.

* * *

Jack couldn't get to Burgess fast enough. As soon as they left Africa's scorching temperatures and the boy regained his strength, one could say he flew like the wind. Upon reaching the mainland after some time crossing over the ocean, Jack maneuvered around buildings quickly, to the point where Sandy was having trouble keeping up.

All the way, Jack's mind created scenarios of why the girl wouldn't wake up on his previous visit. None were very reassuring to him. _The nightmare sand may have been crafted to keep the victim from waking, but there's no way Pitch could have gotten powerful enough to pull that off. Maybe it's a medical thing. Was she in a coma?_

Distracted, Jack almost crashed into a chimney.

_Alright, pessimism and overthinking is getting me nowhere. Sophie's just a heavy sleeper. She's fine, and I should have tried harder to wake her up. Sandy is just here as a precaution in case something is wrong._

Jack winced at the sun that indicated how late he was in returning. The girl's house in sight, Jack swooped down, throwing open the same window for the second time in the past few hours.

"Sophie!"

Sophie sat on her bed, bright onesies standing out against a dark comforter, and hair hanging down in her face. She had a unicorn stuffed animal in one hand, and a bunny rabbit in the other. "Jack!" She stumbled off the bed and engulfed him in a hug.

_Thank goodness she's okay._

"Jack Jack Jack!" She released him and grabbed his hand, dragging him toward her toys.

He glanced behind him toward Sandy, who smiled and shrugged, probably wondering why Jack had dragged him out here, as Sophie appeared perfectly fine.

"You be Bunny!" Sophie thrusted the toy toward the winter spirit.

_I guess I worried so much for nothing._ "Umm… Would it be okay if I'm the unicorn, instead?" Sophie considered for a moment, before trading him stuffed animals.

"Hop, hop, hop." She giggled.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "Sophie, before we play, can I ask you a question?"

Sophie nodded, but kept playing with the bunny.

"Did you have a bad dream last night?"

Sophie paused, thinking. "I don't 'member."

Sandy approached Jack, sporting an expression that seemed to say, 'You see? Everything's fine.'

Jack looked down. "I don't know, Sandy. I still feel uneasy. I know it seems I jumped the gun a bit, but something was off about her dreams last night. I even had my own dream about Pitch while we were in Africa."

Sandy frowned when Jack mentioned Pitch. Again, he elected to spell out his thoughts instead of using symbols. 'I know the situation last Easter was hard on you. Pitch Black can make a lasting impression on people, especially those whose fears he knows. However, not all nightmares are the workings of Pitch, but of our own subconscious, haunting us with our own fears and insecurities. I'll look into it, but I believe in both Sophie's case and yours… sometimes a nightmare is just a nightmare.'

Jack laughed humorlessly. "You're probably right— just a nightmare."

But as Sandy smiled and gave Jack a pat on the shoulder, turning to leave, and the boy returned to playing with Sophie, Pitch's words from his nightmare echoed in his mind.

_If only things were that simple, Jack._


	7. Unwanted Memories

**A/N Set immediately after The Sleigh. The time skip is set during the summer of the year of the movie, so about three months after Easter. I actually have a timeline going for when each chapter occurs in relation to the movie and each other, so if anyone wants it I'll probably post the current timeline on my profile page. Apologies for not updating in like, a year… yeah… **

**Tooth and Jamie needed some love, so here's a story with them as more of focal points.**

* * *

Jack thumbed the memory cylinder in his hoodie pocket. He thought of his sister's smiling face, his mother's warm hugs, and his father's deep laughter.

The guardians stood, casually discussing their plans for fixing the damages Pitch had caused. Next to them, Jack felt like a kid intruding on an adult conversation. The statement was somewhat true if one didn't take into account Jack's actual age. No matter the circumstances, Jack felt awkward around them, and searched for an excuse to escape.

The opportunity came in the middle of Bunny's Easter ramblings. At least, if Jack had to interrupt their 'adult' conversation, he preferred Kangaroo be the one he offend.

"My Warren's not gonna be in the best shape after all the lost belief, but I think if— "

Jack cleared his throat.

Bunny glared. "But I think it would help to— "

A cough this time.

"Is there something you want to say, Frostbite?"

"Actually, yes. Thank you for asking." Jack smirked as Bunny rolls his eyes. "It's been fun, but I have some winter stuff to take care of so I'll be heading out."

"Right now? Jack, we had long night. You should rest here before you return to your duties." North advised.

_Listening to all of you talk about boring work isn't what I would call 'restful.'_

"Yes, well, it's important, 'must get done now' winter stuff, so I'll see you all around." Jack spoke quickly, offering a casual salute.

"Better not be hearing about your 'winter stuff' too soon, you here? Don't be causing a snowstorm in places you shouldn't." Bunny said, using air quotes around "winter stuff."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Jack retorted, heading toward the nearest window.

"Wait, Jack." Tooth's violet eyes met his. Jack looked over her shoulder to see that the other three guardians had returned to their conversation. "Are you alright? You took a lot of hits in the battle today. I don't want you to overwork yourself."

Jack snorted. "Not overworking myself doesn't mean much coming from the busiest person, um, fairy, I've ever met."

Tooth sighed. "Just know that I'm here if you need anything." She concluded, fluttering back toward the guardians.

"Tooth." Jack called. _I'm definitely going to regret this, later._

Tooth whirled around, her eyes pleased. Jack fiddled with the memories in his pocket, debating. _Maybe I shouldn't trouble her about this. Ugh, she's coming this way. Why did I call her over before I made a decision? She's here! I guess there's no backing out now._

"Here." Jack said, hoping his voice sounded indifferent. He held out the golden memories.

"Oh, no Jack!" Tooth replied in haste, "Those memories are yours! I can't possibly— "

Jack lowered his eyes. "I don't want them, Tooth. I already saw them." Sandy, North, and Bunny had stopped their conversation and placed their gazes on the winter spirit.

Tooth's eyes jumped between the group and Jack. Shaking her head, Tooth flew directly in front of the boy, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the others. _Won't you just take them? Why did this have to turn into a discussion?_

"There is no possible way that you have seen all of your memories, Jack. That would be too much to handle at once. You may have seen bits and pieces, but it will be a while before all the memories will come back to you." Tooth paused, waiting for a response, but didn't receive one. "If you're worried because not all the memories have come back yet, don't give up. I'll give Baby Tooth some time off work so that she can— "

"Tooth— "

"Travel with you," The fairy continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "She'll see when it's time to show you more and— "

"No! Just listen for a second, okay?" Jack snapped. Tooth closed her mouth. The boy sighed, eyes closed for a moment before continuing. "Thank you for the explanation, but I've seen enough. I know who I was and that's really all that matters."

Tooth rubbed her hands together. "I don't know Jack, this isn't… " Tooth trailed off, her eyes darting around, nervously.

"Just take them," Jack said. "Winter stuff to do, remember?" He added playfully, trying to lighten the mood.

After a brief silence, Jack held the memories out to her once more. Tooth reached out her hand, but hesitated upon touching the cylinder. "Are you sure, Jack? If there's something wrong you know you can talk to us."

"Please." Jack whispered.

Tooth nodded, grasping the memories, and Jack darted out the nearest window before she changed her mind.

* * *

_About 3 months later_

"Animal, boomerang, celery. D is for… dragons." Jamie said, walking along the sidewalk toward his home.

Jack laid back in the wind, the back of his head resting on the back of his head. "Alright, A is for— "

"Are dragons real?" Jamie interrupted.

"Come again?" The winter spirit asked, turning 180 degrees so he was hovering on his stomach.

"Dragons." Jamie stated, matter-of-factly. "I mean, I've read about them. The Easter Bunny's real. Santa's real. _You're_ real, too. So are dragons? Real, I mean?"

Jack tilted his head up, squinting his eyes at the sun. "Probably."

Jamie huffed. "Probably? Come on, you're a winter spirit. Can't you give me more than that?"

Jack pulled Jamie back as the younger boy began crossing a street into oncoming traffic. They waited for a moment, then continued crossing, and their conversation, when the road was clear. "Just because I'm one of the 'fantasy' beings in one of your books doesn't mean I know everything. Most stories come from somewhere, so I guess it's safe to assume that dragons are or once were real."

Jamie sighed. "You'll ask one of the other guardians for me though, won't you?"

"Of course," Jack laughed, ruffling Jamie's hair. "Now quit trying to distract me from the game. You changed the subject just so I would forget the words, didn't you?" He accused jokingly. Jamie stuck his tongue out.

"Animal, boomerang… , celery, dragons. Hm…. E is for eggnog."

Jamie scrunched his nose. "Gross."

"Eh. It's alright once you get use to it. North always has some around his workshop." Jack responded. "And by always, I mean _always._ It's kind of weird, because I never see any of the yetis making it. It just sort of appears. Every time I turn around, there's another glass on the desk or chair, and sometimes the floor."

"Santa's workshop sounds awesome!" Jamie grinned. "You'll take me to see it sometime, won't you?"

Jack scratched the back of his head. "I don't know. North doesn't want to show favoritism to children." Jamie groaned at the word, 'children.' The Guardian of Fun smiled devilishly. "But maybe I can sneak you in."

Jamie's eyes brightened. "Really?" His smile, however, was soon replaced by a frown. "But won't you get in trouble?"

"Not if we aren't caught."

The boys jumped at the sound of flapping wings. Baby Tooth hovered in front of them, waving to Jamie, before fluttering about Jack.

"A spy!" Jack gasped, eyes playfully glancing at Jamie.

"What should we do?" Jamie asked. It was all he could manage, as he was too awestruck by the appearance of the young fairy. Though he saw her and various other mystical creatures from time to time, Jack was the only regular visitor, and he cherished each moment of the fantastical sight.

"Hmmm," Jack stroked his chin. He then thrusted his staff toward the fairy, though holding it far enough away as to avoid accidentally hitting her. "You won't tell anyone of our plan, will you Baby Tooth? If you do… " He hesitated, then gave Jamie a sidelong look. "I can't think of a threat," he whispered.

"You're the Spirit of Winter, say you'll freeze her!" Jamie whispered in return.

Baby Tooth glanced back and forth between the two confused. She chirped at Jack, tilting her head.

"You didn't hear any of our conversation, did you." Jack asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. Baby Tooth shook her head.

"Okay, then, none of this happened." Jack said, though he could have sworn he heard an exasperated sigh from the fairy.

* * *

"Alright, I nabbed a snow globe, you ready?" Jack asked.

Jamie nodded, biting his lip and looking down.

Jack chuckled. "You nervous?"

"No, I just… " Jamie rubbed the back of his neck. "I feel kind of bad that we're not bringing Sophie."

Bending down, Jack tossed Jamie his coat. "I know it's not ideal, but this is the first time in months that North has left the Workshop. We may not get another chance and we don't have time to wait for Sophie to get home from her dance class." Jack held up the snow globe with a smirk. "Besides, Sophie already got to see Bunny's warren. It's your turn for an adventure."

"Alright, let's do it!" Jamie said, grinning.

Jack returned Jamie's smile and turned to the snow globe. "North's workshop," he muttered, and threw the snow globe across the room. Jack's grin widened when he saw Jamie's eyes light up at the swirling colors of the portal, and he promised himself he would show the kid the magical side of the world more often. The winter spirit grabbed Jamie's hand, and together, they jumped through.

"Whoa." Jamie gasped. His eyes danced back and forth, trying to take in everything at once. Elves tripped over each other in what Jack could only assume was a game of tag. A few yetis glanced up at Jack and Jamie, some rolling their eyes or mumbling something under their breaths, but most ignored the two and continued working.

"Neat, huh?" Jack said. Jamie nodded, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. "Well, come on!" Jack continued, giving Jamie a light push forward. "Time for Jack Frost's Tour de Workshop. I think I saw some bicycles back there if you want to ride them, though I recommend the elevator."

"How big is this place?" Jamie managed in an awed whisper.

"Not sure. I haven't thoroughly explored everywhere, myself. But that just means we'll both be surprised by what turns up. Who knows maybe we'll even find a hidden room."

"Now that would be awesome." Jamie said.

"North!"

Jack and Jamie jumped.

"That's Tooth!" Jack whispered. "Hide!"

"North!" Tooth called again. "Is Jack here? I checked Burgess but he wasn't there."

Jack and Jamie searched around frantically. Sure, there were tons of places to hide, but Jack didn't trust most of the equipment in the workshop not to electrocute them if they so much as brushed against it. "She won't be that mad if she finds out I'm here, will she?" Jamie asked as Jack led him to a curtained window.

"No, but the other guardians will find out and I'm not particularly in the mood for a lecture."

"North!" Tooth's voice was closer now. Jamie ducked behind the curtain and Jack did his best to lean against his staff casually. _Just act casual, Jack. _

He watched Tooth flutter in. "Jack!" She exclaimed, racing towards him. "I'm so glad you're here! I've been looking everywhere for you and I mean _everywhere._ I tried the woods next to Burgess, Jamie's house, the— oh nevermind, but I need to talk to you."

'That can't be good,' Jack thought. If there was one thing he learned in his few hundred years it was that someone 'needing to talk to you' was never a good thing.

Tooth twiddled her fingers together. "Well, I was organizing the teeth and sorting through which memories I should remind the children of when I came across these." She pulled out a familiar golden cylinder. Jack frowned, knowing where this was headed. "I know you said you didn't want them, but I still don't think it's right for me to keep them when you still don't have all your memories. I mean, I wouldn't be doing my job as a guardian or as your friend if I don't return them to you."

The two fell silent, with Tooth staring determinedly at Jack and Jack seeming deep in thought. At last, Jack opened his mouth to speak. Apparently able to read the refusal in Jack's eyes, Tooth rushed to say, "Look, don't give me your answer now. But please, if you change your mind about your memories, just come to the Tooth Palace. I'll help you if you need to sort them out."

"I… " Jack wanted to tell her that it would be unnecessary, that he would never go to her in search of his memories. Instead, he offered a lopsided smile. "Thanks, Tooth."

Tooth returned his smile, her eyes soft. A few fairies raced to her side, chirping to their queen. Tooth nodded, going into work mode. "Instruct the division in charge of sector 6 that I will arrive shortly. I need to finish some work back at the palace, but I'll be there to assist as soon as I'm done. Until then, tell them to stick to their usual routes." She turned to Jack. "Sorry, but I need to get back to work. Remember what I told you, alright?"

"Sure," Jack said, as Tooth flew off.

Jamie peaked behind the curtain. "Is she gone?" He asked.

"Yep!" Jack replied. "Shall we get back to the tour?"

The two wandered around the workshop, taking note of the especially grand library and the enormous kitchens. Jamie was unusually quiet, and Jack noticed that most of the kid's enthusiasm for the tour had waned since Tooth's visit.

"Something bothering you?" Jack asked as they boarded the elevator to return to the globe room.

Jamie shook his head, hesitating before replying. "It's just… " He glanced up at Jack nervously. "Why don't you want your memories back?"

Jack cringed. "You heard that, huh?"

"I mean, you told me that was the reason you helped the guardians in the first place, right? Why wouldn't you want them now?"

The elevator reached its destination, and the boys exited. Jack debated on what he should tell Jamie. He didn't really completely understand why he was so loath to see any more of his memories. After some thought he decided that talking about it may help him sort out his own thoughts. "When I wanted my memories back," he began, catching Jamie's full attention, "it was because I wanted to know who I was. I wanted a purpose, I guess. And now I have that. I know that I had a family. Now, I'm a guardian. I have believers." He nudged Jamie at the last sentence. "I don't need more than that."

Jamie frowned. "It doesn't seem like that's very solid reason to not try to remember more."

Jack shrugged. "Maybe not."

_Crash._

Jack and Jamie jumped for the second time that day, and they immediately ran toward North's collection of snowglobes. "North's probably back from testing his sleigh improvements." Jack said, grabbing one off the shelf. "We'd better get you home before our secret tour isn't so secret anymore." He winked and tossed the snow globe in the air.

* * *

Jack nestled himself onto a tree branch next to his lake. The plan had gone smoothly. Jamie was safe at home and neither of the two close calls led to them being caught by other guardians. He knew the guardians wouldn't have cared that much if they were caught. Sure, he'd get a lecture on responsibility, but they wouldn't really be mad. That would have defeated the purpose though. What was the fun in sneaking around if they were caught? Jack just hoped the yetis wouldn't rat them out.

The winter spirit thought back to his conversation with Jamie. He knew that the kid had a point and that his reason for not wanting to see the rest of his memories kind of stunk. It was frustrating. Jack felt he owed it to his sister and his family to find out more about them, but he was so afraid to. _Good to know the boogieman's probably having a good laugh right now._

The thought of Pitch being satisfied by his confusion and fear snapped Jack out of his daze. _That's it, I'm going to Tooth. There is no way I'm giving Pitch any more fears to taunt me with. _

Jack hopped up and, before he could change his mind, shouted, "Wind! Let's visit Tooth!"

* * *

Jack arrived to Tooth directing her fairies. He made sure to stay out of their path and waited patiently for Tooth to take a break.

He laughed as a few fairies fluttered around him excitedly, drawing Tooth's attention.

"Jack!" She exclaimed, immediately flying over.

"Hey, Tooth." He replied, unsure how to approach the conversation.

"Are you here about your memories?" Tooth asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Jack smiled, glad that Tooth had mentioned the topic first. "Yeah, actually. I'm not sure why I've been so freaked out about seeing the rest of them. I mean, I was so happy to find out who I was, and I still am, but… "

Tooth smiled sadly. "Wait here." She flew away and soon returned with his memories in her hand. She glanced down at them before gazing intently at Jack. "I've been thinking about it since you gave me your memories a few months ago, and I think I can understand why you didn't want to see them."

"You… do?" Jack asked. He didn't even understand why he didn't want to see them, so how did she…

As if reading his thoughts, Tooth laughed softly. "I think you're forgetting that I am the guardian of memories, Jack. Of course, there were many reasons why you turned them away. At first, I thought it was because the memories were not happy ones, but the way you sometimes talk about your past and your sister makes me think that's not the case. I believe the memories are painful to you because they were so happy."

Jack crossed his arms across his chest. "I just miss them so much. I know it was a long time ago, but… "

Tooth nodded. "They're new to you. Jack, I've lost people in my life that I love, as well. You may have been without your family for a long time, but your grief for them is new." Tears glistened in the winter spirit's eyes, and seeing this, Tooth wrapped her arms around him. "You can let yourself be sad, Jack, but don't let that grief stand in the way of you remembering the happy memories you had with them. Being a guardian doesn't mean you need to forget your past. You need these memories to move on." She let go of him and gently placed the golden cylinder in his hands.

"Would you like to see some of your memories now?" She asked.

Jack opened his mouth, but no sound game out. He swallowed hard and nodded.

Tooth smiled and reached out to activate the memories.

"Tooth?" Jack's voice croaked.

"Hm?"

"Who did you lose?" Then, realizing the question may be too personal, continued, "You don't have to answer."

"The guardians have been around a long time, Jack. We have all lost many."

He nodded. _I guess I don't really know much about the lives of the other immortals._ Jack hoped he wasn't crossing a line here."But who came to mind when I asked?"

Tooth smiled softly. "My parents."

She touched the cylinder and a bright light filled Jack's vision.

He could feel himself smiling.

_Thanks, Tooth._


End file.
